


Solo - A Reylo Family Fan Fiction

by ElleRen31



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo - Freeform, F/M, Family, Humor, Kylo Ren - Freeform, Mature Audience, Rey - Freeform, Reylo - Freeform, Romance, Star Wars - Freeform, Star Wars: The Force Awakens Spoilers, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Spoilers, fan fiction, mature language, mature themes, smut warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2019-07-20 08:06:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16133141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElleRen31/pseuds/ElleRen31
Summary: COMPLETE! Sequel to Sync - a Reylo Fan Fiction. Based after the events of The Last Jedi, Ben Solo and Rey take on one of the hardest missions in the known galaxy - parenting. Slight mature language and mature themes. Meant to be lighthearted overall.





	1. Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be doing something a bit different this go round and the story will cross between past and present. This is going to start off a bit intense smut wise, but that's partially why you're here - right? ;) Enjoy!

It was a cold day on Lothal. The sky was gray and a blustery wind blew from the south. A rounded stone house amongst the prairie stood strong against the wind, a row of laundry flapping in the breeze on a line strung between the house and a tree.

"Ben? Could you bring in the laundry please?" Rey called.

"Yes dear." Ben said and he got up from his spot at the kitchen table and went to bring in the clothes. As he removed the items one by one, he spotted a yellow starship preparing for a landing in the field in front of the house.

"Rey?" Ben called.

"Are they here?" Rey excitedly asked, coming to open the door for Ben.

"They're here." He told her, kissing her on the forehead. Rey bobbed with excitement.

As Ben went inside with the laundry, Rey hurried outside.

"Rey!!!" Rose waved, hopping out of the starship.

"Rose!!!" Rey called back, waving frantically. Rose ran up to the house, jumping the small wooden fence and rushing over to give Rey a big hug.

"I'm so glad you're here." Rey told Rose.

"You know, there's a gate." Finn said to Rose, opening the gate and letting himself and Poe inside the yard.

"I was just so excited." Rose said, slightly embarrassed.

"Come inside!" Rey said, ushering her friends inside the house. "Make yourself at home." She told them.

Rose and Finn sat down on a couch next to a small fireplace. Poe sat in an armchair across from them.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Rey offered.

"Oh you don't need to do that." Poe said. "Sit down. You shouldn't be on your feet so much."

"You sound like Ben." Rey told him, as she heaved herself onto the couch next to Rose.

"May I?" Rose asked, reaching a hand towards Rey. Rey smiled and nodded. Rose excitedly touched Rey's large baby belly.

"Oh wow!!!" Rose said. "I can't believe you're about to have a baby."

"Are you sure there's just one?" Finn said, peeking over at Rey. "I mean.... you're kind of huge."

"FINN!" Rose snapped at Finn. "You never comment on a pregnant woman's size!" She scolded.

"Believe me, I've been asking myself that every day for the last five months." Rey said with a light laugh. "But my doctor has assured me its only one."

"So what do you need us for again exactly?" Poe asked Rey.

"I need someone to oversee the academy. Just for a few weeks after I give birth." Rey said, rubbing her belly absentmindedly.

"But we don't know the Force. How are we supposed to teach the students?" Finn asked. "Why can't Ben do it?"

"Excuse me, I'll be helping take care of the baby." Ben said, poking his head out from the kitchen. Poe and Finn snickered to each other.

"I still can't believe he's going to be a dad." Finn laughed.

"It gets funnier each time you think about." Poe said.

XXX

PAST

XXX

Ben paced back and forth in the bedroom of the Millennium Falcon. Rey had locked herself in the bathroom and was blocking him from reading her mind with the Force.

He sighed, frustrated. He reached a hand to touch the back of his head, feeling the sore spot he had received after fainting inside Maz's castle. He winced at the touch. He sat down on the edge of the bed, facing the bathroom. His right foot tapped the floor impatiently. He rest his elbows on his knees and folded his hands together, drumming his fingers.

The door to the bathroom gave a click and it hissed open. Ben stood up quickly.

"Well?" he asked Rey as she emerged from the bathroom, holding a thin metal stick in her hands.

Soundlessly, she just held the stick out for him to read. All it showed was a digital screen flashing blue with a smiling face blinking on it.

"I don't know what these things mean." Ben said.

"It means I'm pregnant. Maz was right." Rey said, not wanting to look at Ben. Ben let out a long and slow breath. He needed to phrase his next words perfectly or else he would never live the moment down.

She was pregnant. Rey was going to have a baby. His baby. Their baby. And he was terrified.

He hadn't realized how long the silence had gone on but it was beginning to make Rey uncomfortable.

"Please say something Ben." Rey whispered to him.

Ben pressed his lips together. He slowly reached out for one of her hands.

"I have one condition." He said. Rey looked up at him, her eyes filled with concern and worry.

"We can't get married anywhere with sand."

"Ben." Rey said, trying to remove her hand from his. "Just becau-"

"No. Please listen." Ben said, cutting her off. "I see it in your dreams Rey." He told her. She looked down in embarrassment.

"I know you still long for a family. Your friends only fill the void so much. It's one of the reasons you wanted to start the Force Academy. You want to nurture others and feel needed." Ben told her. He looked down at her hand.

"I.... I've thought many times about when I'd ever ask." Ben admitted quietly. "This seems like the time to do so."

It was quiet again for another moment, this time Ben was the one feeling uncomfortable.

"You really want to marry me?" Rey asked, beginning to cry.

"Rey, I've wanted to marry you since the moment you arrived on Snoke's ship." Ben said, reaching a hand up to brush away her tears. Rey laughed a little.

"Are you asking me to marry you then?" She asked. Ben smiled.

"I guess I am." He said, kneeling down in front of her, still holding her hand. "Will you?" he asked.

"Yes Ben." Rey said nodding, tears still dripping down her face as she smiled. Ben stood up and wrapped Rey into a hug.

She breathed heavily into his chest, hearing his heart beating very fast.

"Rey?" Ben asked as he stood there holding her.

"Mmm?" Rey said as she nuzzled his torso.

"When do you think..... This happened?" He asked, unable to speak the proper words. Rey pondered it over as Ben slightly rocked her back and forth in his arms.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it was your birthday." she answered

XXX

1 Month Ago

XXX

Ben walked back to the Falcon from the market, carrying a wooden crate filled with a variety of ship parts. The Falcon was docked at the back of the New Resistance base on Naboo. He climbed the ramp, pressing the button to allow himself inside.

"I'm back." He called to Rey and Chewie. He set the box down with a heavy thud.

"You know." He said loudly and annoyed. "If you didn't insist on keeping this dust bucket, you wouldn't need so many spare parts."

"SURPRISE!!!!" Rey shouted, bursting from the cockpit, Chewie roaring behind her. Ben flinched at the noise.

Rey had a small round cake in her hands, the top slightly lopsided.

"Happy Birthday Ben!" Rey said happily. Ben rolled his eyes.

"Chewie, I told you NOT to tell her!" Ben yelled at Chewie. He grumbled and motioned with his furry arms.

"I don't care if the cake was her idea, I told you not to tell her!" Ben said as Rey approached him with the cake.

"Come on Ben. It's your birthday. Why wouldn't you want me to know your birthday?" Rey asked him. Ben sighed.

"I.... I just... Birthdays were never... Special for me." Ben said as Rey set the cake down on the holo chess table.

"But what about that calligraphy pen you like so much? That was from a birthday." Rey countered, as Chewie handed her a candle and she set it in the middle of the cake.

"You mean the one my dad gave to me, the dad I killed?" Ben said angrily. Chewie roared sadly at the mention of Han.

"It's just a cake, Ben. I worked really hard on it." Rey said pouting. Chewie nodded his head and grumbled.

"I can tell its chocolate." Ben replied.

"You like chocolate." Rey said, batting her eyelashes at him. Ben pursed his lips in annoyance.

"Fine. Thank you." Ben said to Rey. "But I'm not blowing out the candle." He told her. Rey smiled at him and blew out the candle for him.

"Do you want to open your present?" Rey asked, reaching for Ben's hands and pulling him towards the bedroom.

"There's presents too?" Ben complained. The bedroom door shut behind them, Rey's giggle echoing through the door. Chewie rolled his eyes. He grabbed a handful of cake with one hand, picked up his crossbow with the other and exited the ship to go hunting. It was going to be a while.

"So where is my present." Ben asked as Rey sat him down on the bed.

"Keep your eyes closed." She said. Ben sighed in annoyance.

"Okay, they're closed." He said. There was a soft rustling noise and Ben impatiently waited to be handed a gift.

"Rey?" He asked. Rey just giggled.

"Rey?" He said again. He turned his head.

"No peeking!" Rey shouted. Ben grumbled.

He tried to read her mind but she had shut him out. Something she was beginning to perfect at this point.

He sensed her in front of him.

"Can I open my eyes now?" He asked.

"Not yet." She said sassily. He felt a sudden tug on his pants.

"Rey, what are you doing?" He asked, almost confused. He fidgeted as Rey's hands reached for his belt.

"Keep your eyes closed." She purred into his ear.

'Hot damn.' He thought as he could feel her reach into the front of his pants. She slowly began to massage his manhood, it becoming more and more erect in her hands.

"Is this my gift?" He asked, his breath quickening.

"Almost." Rey said as her hand continued to move up and down on his arousal.

"Can I open my eyes now?" He breathed heavily.

"I suppose." Rey said in a teasing tone. As Ben opened his eyes, he saw Rey on her knees in front of him. Her buns were undone, her hair draping across her shoulders. She was wearing a skimpy piece of red clothing that looked like a very small nightgown.

"Damn Rey." Ben said. And with that said, she enveloped his manhood in her mouth, him gasping fiercely at the sensation. Her mouth worked back and forth across his member, occasionally letting it slip out of her mouth and she would seductively lick the tip. He shuddered as her mouth enclosed on it again, her hands massaging his inner thighs. He instinctively ran a hand through her hair and gripped it as she continued to pleasure him.

His breathing became heavy and his free hand gripped at the edge of the bed.

"Rey..." He whispered, almost gasping. "Rey...." He repeated. Rey understood and took him from her mouth. He pulled his shirt off in a hurry and he grabbed her, tossing her onto the bed.

"Since when did you get so naughty?" He asked her, fully removing his pants.

"I fell in love with a bad boy." She said, winking at him as she laid back on the bed.

Ben reached a hand to her womanhood, feeling the intense wetness that was brought on by her pleasuring him. He slipped in a few fingers, curling them upwards, causing her to moan and lift her hips in response. He slid her over to the edge of the bed and he pulled at her legs, holding them open and draping her feet across his shoulders. He thrust down into her, Rey arching her back as she moaned for more. Her hips moving up and down to meet his rhythm. Her breasts heaved back and forth as Ben continued his motions.

"BEN!" Rey cried as she clawed at his biceps. She could feel his member tightening inside her.

'You want it?" He grunted heavily as he thrust hard into her, Rey screaming with pleasure.

"YES!" She cried and Ben released into her, Rey feeling herself bursting with climax as well. Ben breathed heavily as he stood over her, his member continuing the throb slightly inside her. Rey slid off his member, warmth dripping down from her folds.

"I think I've changed my mind on birthdays." Ben told her.


	2. Surprise

XXX

PRESENT

XXX

"You don't need to teach them anything." Rey said to Finn. "They just need supervision."

"So you need babysitters." Poe rephrased.

"You make it sound like they're delinquents." Rey said as she frowned.

"We'd be happy to help." Rose told Rey.

"Thank you Rose." Rey told her.

The wind continued to howl outside, vibrating the shutters over the windows.

"I'm sure the students would love to hear stories of the Resistance." Rey told Poe.

"Shoot, I've got plenty of those." Poe said, leaning back in the armchair, propping his arms behind his head. "This should be easy."

"Dinner is ready." Ben called out into the living room.

"So now he cooks too?" Finn asked Rey, standing up from the couch.

"I do whatever she needs me to." Ben said simply from the archway to the kitchen. "She is the mother of my child."

"Whatever." Finn said. Ben turned back to the kitchen. Finn made a whipping motion with his hand to Poe, who chuckled in response.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see that." Rey said to Finn. Rose helped Rey off the couch and they went to the kitchen where dinner was neatly laid out on the table.

"Is it safe to eat?" Poe whispered to Finn. Rose elbowed Poe, giving him a look of warning.

"I thought you men were past all this childish behavior." Rose said to Poe and Finn.

"Never." They said in unison.

XXX

PAST

XXX

Ben exited the medical ward. Rey needed rest. She was still weak from the loss of blood from the blaster shot. He turned around to leave but was blocked by the pilot, Poe Dameron.

"We're not done yet." Poe said to Ben, his arms folded across his chest in a defiant manner. "You owe us an explanation."

"I owe you nothing." Ben said, shoving past Poe, aiming to make his way outside.

"The hell you do." Poe countered. "Not only did I save Rey's life by letting you take my ship, we saved your ass back on the cruiser."

Ben pressed his lips together in annoyance. Poe was right. He turned around to face him.

"I don't know what you want me to explain." Ben said, to avoid thanking the pilot. He straightened his figure to try to intimidate Poe. Poe straightened himself as well, puffing out his chest.

"Let's start with how you went from trying to murder us all to alerting us to Hux's plans?" Poe demanded.

"What's there to say? I saved YOUR asses from getting blown up." Ben shot back.

"I want to know how you found Rey." Finn spoke up from behind Poe. Ben sighed in annoyance.

"We've been communicating." Ben admitted.

"Communicating." Finn repeated, skeptical.

"Yes, communicating. That's what I said."

"How?" Poe asked.

"The Force."

Finn snorted.

"That's not how the Force works."

"Oh really? I don't seem to recall you having the Force, FN-2187."

Finn's face darkened at the words. Poe stepped towards Ben.

"HEY." Poe said harshly. He pointed a finger at Ben. "His name is FINN."

"Whatever." Ben said angrily.

"So you were communicating. You knew where we were?" Finn asked.

"Yes."

"Did Rey know you knew?"

"Not at first."

"And you didn't attack us?"

"Does it look like I attacked you?"

There was a small gasp and the short woman standing next to Finn clasped her hands to her mouth.

"What?" Finn asked her. Her face was red from excitement.

"YOU LOVE HER." She squealed. Ben's cheeks went red. Poe and Finn grimaced.

"It's true, isn't it?" The woman said, stepping forward. Ben couldn't remember her name. "You wouldn't attack us because you love her and she loves us - oh this is just so romantic."

"No it's not." All three men said at once.

"Yes it is." She said. "Remember Finn? Not fighting what we hate and saving what we love?" She wrapped her arms around Finn's waist and snuggled against him. Finn made a face at Ben.

Poe looked down at the ground and kind of shuffled his feet.

"Is it true?" He asked Ben, not looking at him. It was quiet in the hallway.

"Wouldn't you want to save that?" Ben asked, nodding towards the room Rey was in. Poe was quiet.

"Yeah.... I would." He admitted, a hint of sadness in his tone.

"We all would." Finn said. "We're family."

Ben slightly hung his head. Family. Something he didn't have. Something Rey was always longing for.

"I don't know what she sees in you." Poe said. "You're a killer."

"She saw Ben Solo. That's who I am. Kylo Ren is in the past."

Poe frowned, finally looking up at Ben.

"Is she happy?" he asked.

"Last I checked." Ben said. Poe looked over his shoulder at Finn who kind of shrugged a shoulder, his other arm wrapped around Rose. Poe turned back to Ben.

"If you break her heart I will personally murder you."

"Seems fair." Ben said.

"Don't think this makes us friends."

"I don't need friends."

"I will take advantage of every opportunity to rip on you."

"And I the same."

"I second that." Finn spoke up.

When neither Poe nor Finn said anything else, Ben turned on his heel and left.

XXX

8 MONTHS LATER

XXX

Rey sat down in the hub of the Millennium Falcon and paged for the base on Naboo.

"Rey!!!!" Rose replied happily, answering the transmission.

"Good morning Rose!" Rey said.

"Calling so soon? Did you decide where you'll be starting your academy?"

"I decided, but we haven't made it there yet." Rey said.

"Where will you be headed?"

"Lothal. On the other side of the Outer Rim. We'll be leaving for there shortly."

"I can't wait to come see you." Rose said.

"Is that Rey?" came a voice from behind Rose on the holo screen. Finn came into view.

"Hey Rey! Long time no see." He said, laughing.

"I know. It's been a day." Rey replied with a small laugh as well.

"Rose, the reason I called...... I have a favor to ask." Rey started.

"Really?" Rose asked, intrigued.

"Yes. I wanted to know if you could ask the Queen if Varykino was available to host a wedding....." Rey said.

"A what?" Finn nearly shouted. Rose screamed so loud the holo screen actually went static for a moment.

"OH MY GOSH!" Rose cried. Finn rubbed at his ear from the volume.

"WHEN??? WHERE??? HOW???" Rose wanted to know, her face beaming through the screen.

"Well, it happened yesterday on the Falcon." Rey said.

"Where's Ben?" Rose asked. Rey turned and beckoned Ben to come over from his position in the cockpit where he had been hanging back. He rolled his eyes and joined Rey in front of the holo screen.

"Hey Rose." Ben said.

"BEEEENNNNNNN!" Rose yelled. "YOU PROPOOOOOOSED!"

"Yes. I proposed." Ben repeated. Rey giggled.

"Poe is going to flip when he hears this." Finn said. "You know that, right?"

"What am I going to do?" said Poe as he joined Finn and Rose on screen.

"Oh boy." Finn said.

"I couldn't help hear Rose screaming." Poe said. "Hey Rey." He said to her.

"Hey Poe."

"POE! REY IS GOING TO BE MARRIED!" Rose continued to shout. Poe looked a little startled for a moment.

"Isn't this.... Sort of soon?" He said to Rey. Rey looked at Ben and Ben gave her a 'what do you want me to say?' face.

"Congratulations." Poe said to her.

"Thank you." Rey said.

"I just mean, it seems like just the other day that the First Order was disbanded, you know?" Poe said.

"I know." Rey said, nodding her head.

"And then you made us hang out with that guy for like six months."

"Hey." Ben said defensively.

"And now you're getting married. What's next?" Poe said. "I suppose you will be asking Finn and I to be Hold-Fathers to your baby?" He kind of laughed.

Rey looked at Ben. Ben looked at Rey.

"Oh no." Said Poe.

"Oh no what?" Rose asked.

"NO." Poe said, louder this time. "NO NO NO NO NO EW GROSS NO.

"Here it comes." Finn said, covering his ears.

"THERES GOING TO BE A BABY TOOOOOO??????" Rose screamed.

"Surprise!" Rey said, cringing.

"I can't believe this." Poe said.

"That makes two of us." Ben said.

"Well what do you expect to happen when you.... When you.... I can't even say it." Poe said, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat.

Rose had begun to cry.

"Rose, I need you to calm down." Rey told Rose.

"I'm just so happy!" She sobbed.

"We want just a small ceremony. Nothing fancy."

"NO parties." Ben said firmly.

"Could you ask the Queen for us please?" Rey asked again. Rose nodded her head and wiped at her eyes.

"I will."

"You've been gone for a day and you're already engaged and knocked up." Finn said to Rey. "Maker help us."


	3. Perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I need to warn that there's smut ahead at this point? Smut ahead ;)

*briefly inspired by 'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran*

XXX

PAST

XXX

Two weeks later, Ben and arrived back on Naboo to be married in Varykino, where his grandfather Anakin had married Padme in secret. Rey knew it would mean a lot to Ben to be married there. Plus it met his only condition- no sand.

Rose raced to meet Rey as the Falcon landed back on the New Resistance base.

"I'm so excited you're here!" Rose squealed to Rey, giving her friend a hug.

"Thank you so much for speaking to the Queen for us." Rey thanked Rose.

"She was happy to oblige. She is related to Ben after all." Rose said.

"That's right." Rey said.

"May I see your dress?" Rose asked, bobbing with enthusiasm. Rey nodded and the two women hurried onto the Falcon. Ben rolled his eyes as he departed the Falcon past the girls. He needed to go and speak with the clergymen of Naboo prior to the ceremony.

"Hey Ben." said a voice from behind him.

Ben stopped and turned around. Poe was approaching him from one of the hangers on the base.

"Got a minute?" He asked. Ben looked at him cautiously.

"I suppose." Ben said.

"Follow me." Poe said, beckoning with a toss of his hand over his shoulder. Ben looked around, almost waiting to be dragged into some sort of trap, but hesitantly followed Poe into the dorms.

Poe unlocked the door to his room, a very messy room Ben noted. BB-8 whistled and beeped as he rolled up to Ben.

"Wait here." Poe told Ben. He went inside what Ben assumed was his bedroom. He could hear him rustling around in a drawer. Ben stood awkwardly in the living space of the suite, BB-8 curiously watching Poe.

Poe emerged from the bedroom.

"I feel you should have this." Poe said, reaching his hand out to Ben. Ben held out his hand and Poe dropped a familiar ring inside his palm.

"Where did you get this?" Ben asked, not looking at Poe.

"Well.... If I'm being honest, I kind of took it." Poe admitted, putting his hands in his pockets and shrugging his shoulders. Ben glared at Poe momentarily.

"I was being selfish." Poe said in his defense. "She was like a mother to me.... And I wanted something.... Anything.... To remember her by. It was just sitting out on her dresser after she passed...."

Ben stared down at his mothers promise ring, memories flooding back of her.

"I don't know if you already had a ring but-" Poe started.

"No." Ben interrupted. "This will be perfect. Thank you."

"Yeah well.... Don't think I'm going soft on you or anything." Poe said with a light chuckle.

It was a small ceremony with very few in attendance - Rose, Finn, Poe, Chewie and the droids. The priest who presided over Leia's funeral had agreed to perform the ceremony for them. Rey suspected his decision had a lot to do with the fact that the Resistance had saved Naboo from the First Order. Either that or Ben had used a Jedi mind trick on the man. She preferred to think it was the former.

Ben wore all black, of course. He at least wore a nicer jacket than his usual one with the puckered sleeves. Rey's dress was simple, yet elegant. It was floor length and ivory with sheer sleeves decorated with flowing lines almost resembling plant leaves. A series of tiny jewels dotted the sleeves and the back. The form of the dress was slim and it draped perfectly on Rey's figure. Rose stood behind Rey, wearing her pink dress from the Queen's banquet. Chewie stood behind Ben, his fur neatly groomed.

"The rings, please?" The priest asked. Rose stepped forward first. She handed the priest a simple silver band and took a step back. Chewie handed Leia's ring over next, almost getting it tangled in his fur.

"Repeat after me." the priest told Ben and Rey. "With these rings, I thee wed."

"With these rings, I thee wed." They repeated as they exchanged rings.

"I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride." The priest said. Ben gently tipped Rey's face up to meet his with his hand on her chin. The kiss was delicate, soft, and promising.

Finn sniffled.

"Are you crying?" Poe hissed to Finn.

"No... *sniff* I just got swamp water in my eye." Finn lied.

Chewie clapped a hand proudly on Ben's shoulder and gave Rey a hug. Rose giddily hugged Rey.

"This is the part where I'd normally make a humorous joke about making babies - but, I've been beaten to the punch." Poe told the couple.

"I'm sure it would have been hilarious and embarrassing." Rey told Poe.

"You know me." Poe said, winking at her.

"Finn, are you crying?" Rose asked Finn.

"No, dammit! I have swamp water in my eye." Finn nearly yelled. Rose just gave Finn a big hug as Rey laughed.

They spent their wedding night in the suite they had first made love in several months ago. The night was just as passionate as then, perhaps more.

Ben slowly undressed Rey from her dress, kissing every inch of her neck and collarbone, breathing hotly as he went. Rey's touch was like fire as she ran her hands across his bare chest. She raked her nails down his back as he nipped with his teeth at her neck.

He laid her back on the bed gently, her dress splayed out on the floor. He massaged her breasts with his strong hands, slowly flicking his tongue against each of her pert nipples. She moaned and breathed heavily. She gasped as his tongue trailed itself down her torso. He slid her white lace undergarments down her leg, allowing his fingers to seductively brush the inside of her thighs.

He tossed the lace aside and lowered his mouth to her opening, beginning to lightly lap at her folds. Rey moaned loudly and gripped forcefully at his hair. As his tongue tickled her deeper, she bucked her hips at the sensation. She was sweet and wet and her mews of pleasure intensified his erection for her.

Ben pulled away from her and positioned himself to penetrate her. Rey moaned again as he entered her, her nipples erect with passion. He pounded all nearly seven inches of his manhood into her as deep as he could. He pulled her off the bed and held her in his arms as she rode up and down on his cock, letting him fill her deep. She bit into his shoulder and he let out a grunt. His thrusts became more fierce as he kneaded her breasts as she continued to grind in his lap, her breathing becoming more ragged as she was reaching a climax.

"Ben!" She cried out as she could feel herself tighten around his throbbing erection.

"Rey!" He grunted as he spilled his seed into her.

She collapsed back in the bed, pulling Ben with her. He showered her face with kisses, each one making her giggle.

"I love you Mr. Solo." Rey whispered into his ear.

"And I love you Mrs. Solo." Ben replied.

In the morning the newlyweds departed Naboo once again for Lothal.

"Aren't you supposed to carry me?" Rey asked as she and Ben approached the Falcon, hand in hand.

"You mean like how I carried you on Takodana?" Ben replied.

"I don't remember that part. You knocked me out." Rey said, a smile at her lips. "You carried me?"

"What else was I going to do, drag you?" Ben asked.

"Kylo Ren would have dragged me." Rey teased.

"Well, Ben Solo is a gentleman." He said. He scooped her up in his arms, exciting a giggling shriek from Rey and he carried her up the ramp into the Falcon.

As they entered Lothal's pale gray atmosphere, Rey noticed Ben piloting the Falcon past the building they had slated for use for the Force academy.

"Where are you going? The academy is back towards town." Rey said. Chewie roared.

"A surprise?" Rey replied.

"Just a little something." Ben said. They flew over a few nearby farms and Rey could see the rounded pillars of the Lothal Jedi temple in the distance.

Ben circled the Falcon around and landed in a large field of pale green grass overlooking a large rounded stone structure.

"Rocks?" Rey said, as they exited the Falcon. "You brought me to see rocks? Am I supposed to lift these?" She asked Ben.

He kind of chuckled.

"No." Ben said, pointing to the corner of the house where there was a metal door. "It's a house."

Rey stepped forward slowly as the realization set in.

"You bought me a house?"

"Well, we kind of need one. The Falcon isn't made for housing a growing family." Ben said, shrugging.

"You bought me a house." Rey repeated.

"It's not much to look at. But then again, this is prime property according to the locals."

"How did you afford it then?" Rey asked quietly.

"I scrapped my TIE."

"Ben..." Rey said, wrapping her around his middle. "You loved that ship."

"I couldn't fly it anymore anyways. I'd be shot down within minutes."

"You bought me a house." She said again, squeezing him tight.

"I bought US a house." He said, kissing her.


	4. Padawans

XXX

PAST

XXX

Ben woke up on the Falcon, alone. It had been two days since the fall of the First Order. Rey was still recovering from the blaster wound in the medical ward. He got up and started to get ready for the day. He had a lot to accomplish, and without Rey to help him out, this was going to be a very uncomfortable day.

"Hey Chewie." Ben said as he exited the bedroom and into the hub of the Falcon. Chewie roared in response.

"What's the name of the dark haired girl always hanging around Finn?" He asked, as he sat down at the holo screen and began to put on his tall black boots. Chewie roared.

"Thanks." Ben replied. Chewie grumbled back at him.

"I'd rather ask her for help than the guys." Ben explained. Chewie roared again.

"No, you stay here. I'll be fine." Ben told him as he exited the Falcon.

Ben headed to the largest hanger, its doors wide open with a variety of starships were docked inside. Several of the Resistance members narrowed their eyes at him as he walked past, a few lone members he vaguely recognized as being from the command deck on the First Order cruiser. They must be the ones Poe mentioned had surrendered.

He saw Rey's friend talking to another girl, this one taller and blonde with hair in small buns, almost like the ears of an animal, atop her head. The blond eyed him warily as he approached. She said something to the other girl, who turned around.

"Ben!" she said, oddly happy.

"Hello Rose." Ben said as he approached the women.

"Is something wrong? Is Rey okay?" Rose asked.

"She's fine. She should be released from the medical ward soon." He said. He glanced at the blonde, still hovering behind her. "I need to ask you something." He said.

Rose turned and nodded to the blonde who nodded in return and she walked a couple feet away and busied herself at a computer console.

"What's up?" Rose asked.

"I need help with my ship." Ben said. "Rey had mentioned you were good with mechanics."

"What do you need you ship for?" Rose asked, almost concerned.

"I need to get back to the cruiser. Hux disabled my ship and I'm not sure how to reactivate it. I've still got all my belongings on board and I wish to retrieve them."

"What kind of ship is it?" she asked.

"A TIE silencer."

Rose thought a moment.

"I've never worked on TIE ships before, but I'll give it a go." She agreed.

By the late afternoon, Ben was docking the TIE in the bay of the cruiser. Several Resistance members were in the process of cleaning up the burnt rubble of the transports.

"Welcome aboard the Organa." Poe said, walking up to Ben as Ben disembarked his ship.

"The Organa?" Ben asked.

"It's what I've renamed the cruiser. We'll be using it as our main Resistance ship from now on. Seemed fitting."

"I see." Ben said.

"Can I help you with something?"

"I came to get my belongings from my room." Ben said.

"Carry on." Poe said, waving him away.

Ben headed down the familiar halls of the cruiser, an eerie feeling about them now that there were no troopers around. He entered his room and headed towards the closet and pulled out a large silver shipping container. He began to pack up clothes and his calligraphy set. Once he had finished, he snapped the casings of the container shut. He suddenly heard a scuffle under his bed. He quickly reached out a hand and pushed the bed aside with the Force.

Millicent lashed out and hissed at Ben as her hiding place was exposed, her squashed face baring her teeth at him.

"Come here, flea bag." Ben said, grabbing for the cat. She growled as Ben held her up by the scruff. He pulled the shipment container behind him with one hand, and held the struggling cat with the other back to the docking bay.

"What's that?" Poe asked Ben as he walked past.

"Not my problem anymore." Ben said, letting his hold on Millicent go. She hissed at him and went to hide behind Poe. BB-8 beeped curiously at Millicent, and she hissed, BB-8 screeching in response.

"Hey now, be nice." Poe said to BB-8. "Here kitty, kitty." Poe said to Millicent, crouching down and enticing her over with a wag of his fingers.

Ben rolled his eyes as he lugged the container onto his ship and headed back to Naboo.

Rey was discharged from the medical ward in the morning. She still had her wound wrapped, but she had regained enough strength to walk on her own, although she was still a bit sore.

Ben held her hand as she walked up the ramp to the Falcon, flinching and clutching at her side.

"I'll be fine Ben." She said. "Just let me lie down for a bit."

Rey entered the bedroom and saw the closet stocked with an array of black jackets and pants. She looked to the bedside table and saw the inkwell with the golden feather in it.

"What's all this doing here?" Rey asked Ben.

"I.... Sort of.... Moved in." Ben said, rubbing the back of his neck, feeling slightly embarrassed. "I hope you don't mind."

"Moving in already, hmm?" Rey teased.

"Well, I can't exactly live on the cruiser anymore." Ben said. Rey smiled at him. She reached up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." She said.

XXX

PRESENT

XXX

The morning after their arrival, Rey took her friends to the academy to greet the padawans.

"Good morning padawans." Rey said as she entered the stone building. Six younglings of varying age stood up from their seats and bowed to her.

"Good morning." they replied in unison.

"Padawans, please meet Poe, Rose, and Finn. They're from the New Resistance, and they will be overseeing the academy while I have my baby." She said, resting a hand on her belly.

"WOW!!! Are you really Rose from the New Resistance?" One of the younglings said as they began to crowd around her friends.

"Yes, I am! You've heard of me?" Rose asked.

"I heard you broke out the fathiers on Canto Bight! Is it true?"

"Yes it is!" Rose said, beaming.

"Hey, I helped with that too." Finn pointed out. The youngling pulled on the tunic of one of the taller younglings, who was trying on Finn's helmet.

"Temiri, look who it is!" The youngling told the boy. The boy took off the helmet and Rose immediately recognized him as the stable boy from Canto Bight. He shyly approached Rose and showed her the Rebel ring she had previously left with him and Rose burst into tears as she wrapped the boy in a hug.

"I can't believe its you!" Rose cried.

"You know him?" Rey asked in shock.

"He worked the stables on Canto Bight." Finn told Rey. "He helped us escape."

"Yes, Maz told us where he was." Rey explained to Finn. "The Master Codebreaker heard from Maz we were looking for Force sensitive children, and she led us to him."

"Are you hungry? You look hungry." Rose was telling Temiri.

"I'm fine ma'am. The Solos provide us with plenty of food here." Temiri told Rose. Rey tousled the boys hair.

"Where do the padawans sleep?" Poe asked Rey.

"There is a room in the back for Temiri, Gaten, Noah and Cara. Chewie keeps an eye on them at night. The Falcon is docked behind the academy."

"And the others?"

"Wolf and Natal are brother and sister from here on Lothal. Their family has lived near the temple since the end of the Empire." Rey said, indicating the two brunette children who were pestering Ben as he stood near the front door, looking slightly annoyed.

"When can we train with REAL lightsabers?" One of them was asking Ben.

"Please please please show us your saber again!" The other asked.

"They like him." Rey said to Poe. "I think the others are still a little scared."

Poe snickered.

"Let me show you the sacred texts." Rey said, leading Poe to the front of the classroom where there was stone table with several old books placed in the middle, held up on each end with bookends that were carved in the shape of Loth-Wolves.

"You can choose to read to them from the texts if you wish, or you can have the padawans read to you. Whichever you prefer." Rey told Poe as she handed one of the books to Poe. He flipped it open and made a face as he tried to recognize some of the ancient words.

"Maybe we'll just tell stories of the Resistance like you suggested." Poe said, setting the book back on the table.

"Aaah!" Rey said, suddenly gripping the table with one hand, the other one pressing against her belly.

"Rey? Are you okay?" Poe asked, helping her steady herself. Ben rushed over.

"What happened?" Ben asked.

"Aaaaa.... I think it's a contraction." Rey said, gasping. Ben put a hand on her belly and almost immediately recoiled as he shared in her pain through their Force connection.

"Do you want to go to the Medcenter?" Ben asked her.

"I don't think that's neccessaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" Rey started.

"Class dismissed!" Ben barked at the students who had gathered around their teacher.

"Yes sir." The students said. They dispersed, with Wolf and Natal leaving out the front and the remaining four scurrying to the back rooms.

"Finn, go get Chewie for me please." Rey said to Finn as she winced in pain. Finn hurried out of the building and around to the back to the Falcon. Minutes later, Chewie came through the door, ducking his head and roaring in a concerned tone.

"Chewie, I need you to keep an eye on the padawans today. The baby is coming." Rey said.

"Are you sure?" Ben asked Rey, hesitant to touch Rey again.

"Yes." Rey said, looking embarrassed. "I think my water just broke."


	5. Cravings

XXX

PAST

XXX

Ben slammed Rey against the wall of the Falcon, ravaging her with kisses as his hands explored her waist, trying to find the hidden fold of her top so he could feel the soft skin of her torso under his fingertips.

It had been weeks since he had technically moved into the Falcon and his sexual desires were becoming hard to tame. He and Rey had been making love throughout the Falcon on a near daily basis. They had been almost caught in the act by Chewie - once, maybe twice. The Wookiee had taken to hunting and fishing to give them privacy.

Their relationship was odd and charming, at yet at times it almost mimicked that of Han and Leia's. Ben would say something rude or snarky, usually about Poe or Finn, and Rey would chastise him only for her to then throw herself on his lap. They balanced each other not only in the Force, but in their emotions as well. They acted like a newly married couple, even before they were actually married.

XXX

7 Months Later

XXX

Rey and Ben were asleep in their new stone house. It had been a week since they had moved in. The sound of the wind outside was gentle, much more soothing than the drumming mechanics of the Falcon.

Ben's hand tickled across Rey's belly.

"Mmmm. Ben..." Rey said sleepily. The motion continued. Rey became more disturbed.

"Ben... Knock it off. Not now." Rey mumbled. The motion trailed back the way it came across her stomach, followed by a light pinch.

"I said stop it Ben!" Rey said, practically backhanding Ben. He gave a snort at the impact of her hand to his face.

"Why'd you hit me" He asked as he grumpily rolled over.

"Stop messing with me, I'm tired." She said as she rolled over as well.

"I wasn't messing with you." Ben mumbled into his pillow.

"Yeah right." Rey said, closing her eyes. She snuggled under the covers and Ben's heavy breaths let her know he had quickly fallen back asleep.

Rey felt the tickle again and she reached a hand out to swat him away. But there was nothing there.

"BEN!" Rey shouted, sitting straight up in the bed.

"Huh, wha?" He asked, his long hair clouding his eyes as he turned again to look at her. "What is it?"

Rey reached over and turned on the gas lantern that sat on her bedside table. She held up a finger to silence Ben. He sat up and curiously watched her as she lifted her night shirt and stared at her belly.

"THERE IT IS!" Rey shouted suddenly.

"What? I don't see anything." Ben said.

"It's there. Something is touching me. I know it." Rey said firmly, staring down at her belly.

"I don't see anything." Ben said, rubbing his eyes.

"Ben.... I think it's the baby."

"It's way to early to feel a baby." Ben said.

"How do you know?"

Rey hesitantly placed a hand on her belly, furrowing her brow as she concentrated.

She felt a pinch from inside her tummy.

"OH MY GOSH." Rey screamed in surprise.

"It knows I'm here." She suddenly whispered to Ben, her hand still on her belly.

"What? That can't be." Ben said. "Move your hand." He said. Rey obliged and Ben put his hand on her flat stomach, his lips pursing in disbelief. They waited there like that for several minutes. Nothing.

"You woke me up for this?" Ben asked her. There was a pinch as he finished speaking. Her eyes became wide. So did Ben's.

"Did you feel that?" Rey asked him.

"HOLY SHIT." Ben said.

"Ben, I think our baby has the Force." Rey said.

"Really, Rey? You're surprised at that?" Ben said to her, making a face. She made a face back.

"The sacred texts never said anything about this."

"That's because Jedi are forbidden to marry and have children." Ben said. "There aren't going to be any Jedi baby books."

"I wonder if your mother felt you like this." Rey asked curiously, putting both her hands on her tummy.

"If she did, she never told me." Ben said, laying back down on the bed.

"Do you think she'd be happy for us?" Rey asked as she turned off the lamp.

It was quiet in the room as Rey laid back down next to Ben, placing a hand against her stomach.

"I know she was." Ben answered. Rey smiled to herself, gave her belly a pat, and drifted back to sleep.

XXX

PRESENT

XXX

Rey screamed louder than she had screamed before, even when Snoke had attacked her mind and body. She was gritting her teeth as she labored. Her hair dark with sweat, the gray dressing gown she was placed in flowing across her baby bump as a medical droid held her knees apart.

"Oooo-ba. Oooo-ba." Said the droid to Rey in a robotic soothing tone.

"I swear to Maker if you say that one more time I am going to crush you!" Rey shouted at the droid.

"Rey, calm down." said the doctor in a steady and almost petrified tone.

"I AM CALM." Rey yelled.

"Just focus on pushing." The doctor said. Rey huffed and turned six shades of red as she concentrated on giving birth.

"YOU DID THIS TO ME!!!" Rey yelled at Ben.

"Now, dear." Ben said as he stood next to her at the top of the bed, smoothing her hair with his hand. "We both know I'm only half to blame."

Rey's eyes burned with rage and suddenly Ben felt loss of breath. She was Force choking him. Choking him! And she wasn't even using her hand!

"Rey...." He struggled to speak, his face beginning to blue.

Rey's contraction subsided and Ben was able to breathe again as her hold on him broke.

"Perhaps.... It's best if you wait outside...." The doctor said to Ben. He gave Rey a quick kiss on the forehead before slipping outside from the room as another wave of contractions hit.

As Ben entered the waiting room - Poe, Finn, and Rose all stood up.

"Is the baby here?" Rose asked. Ben shook his head.

"Is Rey okay?" Finn asked.

"She Force choked me." Ben said, rubbing at his throat. Finn and Poe burst out laughing.

"Well, I guess you've learned your lesson on what you get for having unprotected sex." Poe said with a smirk.

Ben just grumbled and went to sit across from the three.

His mind wandered over Finn's words.

It had never been a topic of conversation, starting a family. That was probably their first mistake. They had gone months making love and nothing had happened. It just never seemed to cross their mind. Even the first time they had sex, Rey had no hesitation over such a worry. Perhaps it was meant to be this way.

His thoughts turned to the fears he continued to push to the back of his mind concerning would he be a good father or not. He felt alone most of his childhood. Han always going here and there - either with his racing career or with smuggling. His mother with the Senate. Being dragged to and from place to place as the family traveled the galaxy for various engagements. He didn't want be that father. He wanted to be there for his child. To prevent them to from ever feeling alone and unwanted.

Rose got up, distracting his thoughts. She went to a nearby vending machine, swiping a credits pass to purchase a snack. Ben liked Rose. She was the only friend of Rey's whom he could stand. She didn't hassle him like Poe and Finn did. Then again, he had personally threatened their lives on multiple occasions. He hadn't with Rose.

The snack Rose chose and brought back to Finn brought back another flood of memories.

XXX

5 Months Ago

XXX

Rey was being sick in the toilet for the second time that morning. Ben knocked on the door to the bathroom.

"Rey? Are you all right?" Ben asked through the door. He knew the answer, but he was obligated to ask anyways.

"No!" Rey cried, her sobs echoing. Ben unlocked the door with the Force, Rey too weak to stop him.

Her hair was damp against her forehead with sweat as she sat defeated on her knees in front of the toilet.

"You okay?" He asked again, kneeling down and reaching out to brush her hair off her forehead.

"NO!" Rey cried again. She sniffled and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I want blue puff cubes."

"Rey, sweetheart, you just threw up blue puff cubes." Ben told her.

"I WANT THEM." Rey raged, her hands balling into fists.

"Okay, okay." Ben said, standing up, his hands in front of him defensively. "I'll see if we have any more."

Dear Maker he hoped they had more.

"And... And I want Nerf nuggets." Rey said over the sound of the flushing toilet. "And a Bantha milkshake."

"We don't have those." Ben said as he scoured the kitchen for blue puff cubes, only to come up empty handed.

"Ben, I need them." Rey whined, her hands on her small but growing baby belly. Ben sighed. He turned and grabbed his jacket off one of the kitchen chairs. He gave Rey a kiss on her cheek.

"I'll go get the Falcon." Ben said.

XXX

PRESENT

XXX

Ben moved from sitting down to pacing in front of the medical ward doors, and then back to sitting. Rey's cries could still be heard from down the hall. He leaned his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands. The wait was agonizing.

There was a much louder scream this time. It made everyone in the waiting room flinch.

"Let's agree to never have kids." Poe said to Finn.

"Agreed." Finn said and the two buddies shook hands. Rose either was ignoring them or had not heard them, her nose buried in a periodical.

"I'm just glad it's one." Finn said to Poe. "Could you imagine if it was two?"

"Yeah." Poe said with a laugh. "It's bad enough she's having one kid with the guy. Twins would have been horrible."

"Hey I can hear you." Ben said to the men, his eyes narrowing.

"Oh, we weren't trying to be quiet." Poe said, smirking. Ben made a face at them before suddenly becoming very still.

The screaming had stopped. Rose lowered her periodical. Ben stood up and looked towards the door.

"Is the baby here?" Rose asked again.

Ben hurried over to the door and before he had a chance to open it, it swung open for him, the doctor waiting on the other side.

"There you are Mr. Solo." The doctor said. He wiped sweat from his brow. "You may go see your wife now. Congratulations."


	6. C.R.S.

XXX

PRESENT

XXX

Ben slowly opened the door to Rey's room. It was quiet except for the robotic musings of the medical droid who was putting away bloodied blankets.

Rey was sat up in the bed, her brown hair still damp from labor. She cradled a swaddled bundle in her arms, rocking slowly back and forth, making soft shushing noises into the white blankets.

Ben felt his heart catch in his throat as he watched. He slowly approached them. Rey's eyes flicked up towards him. She gave a small gasp of fake surprise.

"Look who it is!" She said to the bundle. "Papa came to see you." She said happily.

Ben heard a tiny coo come from the bundle and he saw a pink hand reach up out of the blankets. Ben had reached Rey and looked down into the sea of blankets, his eyes wide. The baby had dark hair, just like he did.

"It's a boy." Rey whispered to Ben.

Ben nearly choked with both fear and pride. He swallowed the lump in his throat, willing himself not to cry.

"Hey there." Ben said to his son. "I'm your Papa."

Rey lifted her right arm slightly so Ben could pick him up. He was tiny and warm, his face scrunched and making the weirdest of snuffing sounds. He was eerily calm. Ben had expected a lot of crying. Ben held his son tight to his chest and a tiny hand grazed at his fingers.

"He's perfect." Ben whispered to Rey. She smiled up at Ben.

"You'll be the best Papa." Rey said to him, reaching out to Ben and lovingly touching his arm.

Ben handed the baby back to Rey as the medical droid waddled over towards them.

"Your visitors are requesting to see the baby." The droid informed Rey.

"You may let them in." Rey said, nodding to the droid.

Rose of course, was first to enter the room, followed next by Finn, and then Poe. Ben stepped back as Rey's friends gathered around the side of the bed.

"You had a baby, Rey!" Rose squealed softly.

"Congratulations." Finn said to Rey, smiling warmly.

"Would you like to hold him?" Rey asked Rose.

"Him? It's a boy???" Rose gasped.

"200 credits says he murders his dad." Poe quickly whispered to Finn.

"I'll double that." Finn replied. Ben glared across at them, clearly overhearing their bet.

Rey let Rose take the baby from her arms and Rose began the same shushing as Rey had been doing before as she lightly rocked him back and forth.

"Did you decide on a name?" Finn asked. Rey looked up at Ben.

"That's all on you." Ben said to Rey, nodding at her.

Rey looked back towards her son, reaching out a hand to smooth his head of dark hair.

"Cason Ridley Solo." Rey said.

"Awwww..." Rose said as she snuggled baby Cason.

"I like it." Poe said. "It's a good name."

Rose handed Cason back to Rey.

"Finn, I want a baby." Rose said to Finn, causing Finn to cough from choking. Poe laughed and Ben smirked happily in Finn's direction.

"Rose, this is clearly not the time to discuss this!" Finn hissed to her.

"Just because they make cute babies doesn't mean everyone else in a relationship needs to have one." Poe told Rose.

"We make cute babies, huh?" Ben asked Poe, his smirk growing wider.

"So I think your kid is cute." Poe snapped at Ben. "That doesn't make us friends."

"You keep saying that to me." Ben said to Poe. "I think you are starting to go soft on me Dameron."

"I am not." Poe said, almost pouting.

"That's enough boys." Rey said to the men. "Now look, I just pushed a baby out. Could I get some rest please?" She asked.

"Sure thing." Finn said, nodding to Rey. "Come on Rose." he said, taking Rose by her arm and leading her out of the room. Poe gave Rey a wink and followed Finn and Rose.

"What about adoption?" Rose was asking Finn.

"Rose! We will discuss this later!"

"A cat then."

"Maker help me." Finn said as the door shut behind them.

Rey nursed Cason after her friends had left. Once Cason fell asleep, Ben gently took him from her to let her rest as well.

Ben sat in a rocking chair just off the side of Rey's bed. He held Cason tight, staring down in almost wonder at this little being he and Rey had created.

He sudden felt a shift in the atmosphere and his gaze rose from his son to the blue hue in front of him.

"Hello Uncle." Ben said softly.

"Hello Ben." Luke said. He peered down at the boy in Ben's arms. "Hello little one." Luke said to Cason.

Cason stirred a little, almost as if he too felt the presence of the Jedi.

It was odd to see Luke's Force ghost in front of him. Rey had told him previously how they'd contacted her multiple times before, but he himself had not experienced this phenomenon since the battle on the cruiser against Hux.

"Is..... Is.... My mother...." Ben started. Luke sadly shook his head.

"I'm afraid she isn't here." Luke said. "Had she been more trained with the Force, perhaps. But sadly, no."

Ben looked back down at his son in his arms.

"He has the Force, Uncle."

"As to be expected, considering his parentage." Luke said.

"What.... What if he turns out like me?" Ben asked, letting his guard down.

"I failed you Ben." Luke said. "Had I not faltered, you may never have fallen to Snoke. As long as you are committed and true, you shall not fail your son."

Ben hated to admit it, but hearing his uncles words made him feel a little bit better.

"Strong with the Force, this one is." came a voice to Ben's left. Luke rolled his eyes. Ben looked at the old green Jedi Master with a mix of confusion and shock.

"Ben, this is Jedi Master Yoda." Luke introduced.

"The one from your stories?" Ben asked as the Master looked curiously at the baby in Ben's arms.

"The one and the same."

"Dark your past is. Clouds his future it does." Yoda said to Ben. Ben frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means as long as you let go of your past, the quieter your fears will become." said another voice as Anakin joined the others in the room.

Ben's heart beat fast as Anakin approached him and gave a small smile at Cason.

"At least let us rejoice he looks somewhat like his mother." Anakin said. Yoda chuckled and Luke smirked. Ben looked a little embarrassed.

"You did pick a good one, my grandson." Anakin told Ben.

"I think the Force picked her rather than I did." Ben admitted. Yoda chuckled again.

"Right you are. Mmmhmm. Right you are." Yoda said, nodding.

"She brought you back to light. We have many thanks owed to her." Luke said to Ben, folding his arms. Ben looked over at Rey as she slept heavily in the medical bed and he could feel his heart swell.

"I believe Han and Leia would be very proud." Luke told Ben.

Ben turned his head back towards his uncle, but the ghosts had already vanished. Ben sighed and looked back down at his son. He raised Cason to his chest, gently kissing the top of his soft hair.

"I will not fail you." He whispered.


	7. Lessons

XXX

6 MONTHS LATER

XXX

"Very good." Rey was saying as she observed the padawans. They were standing in a row, their eyes concentrated on the piles of rocks in front of them. A few of the stones hovering slightly, some barely vibrating.

She walked along behind the children, eyeing their techniques.

"Steady now Cara." Rey said as she passed by. "You've almost got it Noah."

She made one more pass back behind them.

"That will be the end of this lesson." she told them. The padawans lowered their hands, some looking pleased, others frustrated.

"Lessons will continue after lunch." She said, nodding. The children scattered and ran back inside the academy building, chatting with one another.

Rey turned around, sensing figures approaching. She smiled, seeing Ben walking up towards her. He held Cason in his arms. The baby happily reached out his hands.

"Hello my darlings." Rey said to Ben and Cason, reaching out to take Cason from Ben. Cason pressed his hands against Rey's cheeks and gave her a drool filled smile.

"How is Mama's big boy today?" She asked him.

"I'm fine." Ben said. Rey gave him a look while Ben just smirked back. He gave Rey a kiss on her forehead.

"Are you ready for your lessons?" Rey asked Ben as she wiped the drool from Cason's chin. Ben looked unenthused towards the academy.

"If you insist." He said with a sigh.

"You're the better fighter out of the both of us."

"I'm better at a lot of things." Ben said smugly.

"Is that so?" Rey asked. Cason laughed.

"He agrees." Ben said. Rey gave her husband another look.

"Come join us for lunch." Rey said to Ben, toting Cason over her shoulder as she walked inside the academy.

The girls immediately came over to fuss over Cason. He had grown so much since he had been born. His hair still just as dark and just as soft. His eyes were a warm brown. He was a very calm and happy child.

"Do we get to use sabers today?" one of the padawans asked Ben for the thousandth time.

"You will be using the training staffs." Ben said to the child. The child made a face and went back to eating his lunch.

After their meal, the padawans hurried outside, excitedly holding onto the training staffs. Some of the boys had already started to mock battle, knocking the staffs against each other, laughing as one of the boys fell back over one of the piles of rocks they had been lifting earlier.

"All right, knock it off." Ben said as he followed the children outdoors. The boys became serious and quiet and they all hurried and filed in a row. It pleased Ben that he still could evoke fear in them. The padawans knew hardly anything about his troubled past, but his authoritative figure to them balanced the kindness Rey showed with her lessons.

"Training stances!" Ben shouted at the padawans. Rey gave him a warning look at his tone as she watched from the side, Cason balanced on her hip. Ben cleared his throat as the padawans awkwardly composed themselves into the stance he had previously taught.

"Lesson one." He asked the children, less harsh this time.

"Always be prepared!" The padawans shouted back in unison.

"Lesson two."

"Always pay attention!"

"Very good." Ben said, observing each set of eyes that were intently focused on him. He took his saber off the hook on his belt.

He ignited it, the vibrant blue light humming to life.

"Follow my movements." He instructed.

XXX

PAST

XXX

Ben was grumbling, overwhelming frustrated, as he stared down at the two pieces of broken lightsaber on the kitchen table.

"You know." He said aloud. "You really did a number on this."

"Excuse me, you're partially to blame." Rey said as she came into the kitchen, cradling her growing baby belly.

"You should have joined me when I asked." Ben grumbled.

"You shouldn't have tried to take my saber." Rey shot back.

"It was mine to begin with." He snapped back.

"Just because it was Anakin's doesn't mean it automatically became yours."

"Well, it should have." Ben said as he reached for a pile of tools he had taken from the Falcon. He pried out the kyber crystal, setting the two pieces on the tabletop. He stared at them, a perturbed breath escaping his lips.

"Why don't you keep using your old one?" Rey asked, rubbing a hand on Ben's back as he hunched over the table.

"I'd rather not. It's from the Dark Side."

"You came from the Dark. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's a part of who you are." Rey told him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Ben sighed again.

"Do you think you can fix it?" She asked.

"I've handled cracked crystals before. Never broken ones." He said, his eyebrows furrowing at the work ahead of him.

"There is no shame in using your old one." Rey told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek before heading back out into the living room, humming softly as she rubbed her belly.

XXX

PRESENT

XXX

"I think that went very well." Rey told Ben as they walked home, Rey carrying Cason.

"If you think so." Ben said, lightly touching the saber that was attached to his belt.

"The padawans like you."

"They like lightsabers." Ben countered.

"You have to admit, they are pretty neat." She said, bouncing Cason on her hip.

They reached their home, Ben holding the door open for her. Once inside, Rey set Cason down on the floor and he immediately crawled towards his pile of toys in the corner of the living room with a happy squeal.

"Looks like we received a holo message while we were gone." Ben said, pointing to their holo projector that sat on a table in the living room. It was blinking red steadily. Rey went over and activated the projector. Finn's face appeared in blue, flickering through the transmission.

"Hey Rey, it's me. Rose and I are going to be swinging by for a visit. See you later!"

The transmission quickly ended.

"A little bit more warning would have been nice." Ben said as he sat down on the couch across from Cason. He had a starship toy in his mouth, teething on it, drool escaping down the side of the toy.

"You hush." Rey told Ben as she hurried to tidy the house.

By dinnertime, Rose and Finn had arrived. Rose and Rey embraced in the doorway. Finn and Ben merely nodding to each other.

"Where is he???" Rose squealed, looking for Cason.

"He's playing." Rey said, looking over to her son. Cason laughed loudly and reached up for Rose.

"Hey there buddy!" Rose said, cuddling him close. Finn gave Rey a hug.

"So to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" Rey asked him. Finn glanced over at Rose who had handed Cason to Ben. She whirled around and stuck out her left hand.

"WE'RE ENGAGED!" Rose shouted.

"Congratulations!" Rey said, hugging Rose first and then Finn. "I'm so happy for you both." She said.

"Thanks." Finn said, blushing.

"Have you decided on a wedding date?" Rey asked.

"In a few months." Rose said. Rey eyed Rose curiously.

"Oh no, it's not like you guys." Rose said quickly. "I'm not expecting."

Cason laughed. Ben reddened with embarrassment.

"At least not yet." Rose said, winking at Finn. His face continued to blush.

"Well, we will be happy to attend." Rey told them. "Come into the kitchen. Dinner should be ready soon."

Following dinner, Finn and Rose left. Rose promised to keep Rey posted on the wedding planning. Rey put Cason to bed in his crib, the mobile of planets attached to the rail spinning slowly above him. He sleepily reached his hands up towards it.

"Goodnight darling!" Rey told him, kissing him softly on his forehead.

She turned down the light and crept out of his room, leaving the door open a peek. She sat down next to Ben on the couch where he had been reading a periodical and rested a head on his shoulder.

"Ben..." She said slowly.

"Rey." Ben said warily, immediately trying to search her thoughts with the Force. She didn't bother to block him this time. He lightly sighed at what he saw.

"Rey, give it time." He said, returning to his reading. "He's only 6 months old. He doesn't need a sibling anytime soon."

Rey lightly pouted. Ben silently cursed Rose and her obsession with babies. This was all her fault.

"Don't get mad at Rose." Rey scolded, turning the tables on him and reading his thoughts as well. Ben sighed again.

"But he is such a good baby." Rey said, looking to the door that led to his room. "He would be such a kind big brother."

"I don't doubt that." Ben said. "Just not now. The academy is picking up with the training. It wouldn't be fair to either of them"

Rey pouted again and snuggled deep against Ben's arm.

"I know... You're right." Rey admitting, feeling slightly defeated.

"One day." He said. He reached an arm around her shoulders. "I promise." He kissed the top of her head.

Rey looked up at him.

"One day." She repeated.


	8. Celebration

XXX

NINE YEARS LATER

XXX

Rey was outside with a large woven basket laying at her feet. She was removing the rows of linens from the laundry line, folding them as she went. A pleasant summer breeze rolled by. A perfect day for their celebration.

A crash from inside the house disrupted the calm of her chores.

"MAAMAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" Whined a tiny yet shrill voice. Rey rolled her eyes and lifted the basket, hefting it inside the house, using the Force to open the door with a slam.

"MAMA SHE TOOK IT!" Cried the voice as Rey entered the house.

"I HAD IT FIRST!"

"Lucina! Pippa! Stop this!" Rey scolded the girls.

It had been a whirlwind of the last several years. Not long after Ben and Rey had celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary, they had discovered they were expecting again. It was enough of a surprise to learn Rey was pregnant with twins, but they hadn't expected the twins to be the two fiery spitballs that they were when they arrived exactly nine months later. They had been named Lucina Rose and Pippa Marie, loving nicknamed Lulu and Pip.

"But Mamaaaaaa."

"Give Pip the toy." Rey said sternly, setting the basket on the kitchen table.

The two brown haired girls were glaring angrily at each other. One had her hair in a single ponytail, the other with two small buns atop her head. Both had brown eyes.

One shoved the toy back at the other.

"What do you say Lulu?"

"Sawwee." Lulu said to Pip.

"That's better. Where is your brother? His room better be clean before our guests arrive." Rey said, unloading the linens from the basket. As if on cue, Cason emerged grumpily from his room.

"I cleaned my room hours ago." He said to his mother, annoyed. "Why do I have to let them share my room?"

"Because we have guests coming. They will stay in the girls room." Rey explained for the hundredth time. Cason rolled his eyes.

"Can't I stay on the ship with Uncle Chewie?"

"Absolutely not." Rey said.

"I won't take it for a ride again. I promise." Cason pleaded. Rey gave her son a skeptical look.

"You are still grounded for that." Rey reminded him.

"But Papa said -"

"Never mind what Papa said." Rey said. Cason sat down at the kitchen table, making a face at how his mother was forcing him to let his annoying little sisters share his room while his Aunt and Uncle visited. Rey tousled Cason's dark hair.

"I love you, son." She told him.

"I love you too, Mama." He told her with a sigh.

"They're here! They're here!" Lulu squealed as she came running away from the side window of the house. The girls scrambled for the door and Rey hurried after them as they ran out to greet their visitors.

"There are my girls!" Finn said as he and Rose emerged from their starship.

"Uncle Finn! Uncle Finn!" They cried as they ran to hug him.

"My, how you've grown Pip!" Finn said to one of the girls.

"I'm not Pip, I'm Lulu!"

"Of course I knew you were Lulu!" Finn said, setting one of the girls down and reaching for the other.

"Not really. Can't tell them apart." Finn whispered to Rose. Rose giggled. Pip squealed as she was lifted up into a big hug. The girls rushed to Rose next.

"Aunt Rose! Aunt Rose!"

"I'm so glad you could make it." Rey said to Finn, giving her old friend a hug.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world." Finn said to Rey. "'This is a big celebration. Ten years of the Force Academy. Has it really been that long?"

"It surely doesn't feel like it sometimes." Rey said, sighing. Rose had escaped the twins and reached out to Rey for a hug. They hugged tightly.

"I've missed you so much!" Rose said to Rey. "The girls are getting tall!"

Rey laughed.

"Well, you've seen their father." She said with a smile.

A shy dark haired girl peeked out from behind Rose.

"Paige! You're so quiet! I didn't realize you had left the ship." Rey told the girl. The girl blushed.

"Hi Aunt Rey." The girl said quietly. She had jet black hair cut in a blunt bob, tan skin, and soft almond shaped eyes. She was named in memory of Rose's sister.

"Come inside. I'm sure Cason would love to have someone closer to his age to play with." Rey said, beckoning Finn and Rose's daughter into the house behind her parents. The twins ran past them and into the house first.

"Cason, you remember Paige?" Rey said to Cason as he emerged from the kitchen to greet their guests.

"Not really." Cason admitted as he stared at Paige. Paige looked embarrassed at his words and his stare.

"Well, it has been - what - four years?" Rey asked Rose, who nodded.

"Right after the twins were born." She reminded Rey.

"Yes. You would have been just six and Paige was almost four." Rey said to Cason.

"And Paige just had her birthday last week." Rose said. Paige stepped forward shyly.

"Hi." She said to Cason, blinking her dark lashes at him.

"Want to see my model starships?" Cason asked Paige. She nodded and she followed Cason to his room. Rey looked after the two, smiling.

"Where is Ben?" Finn asked Rey, looking around the house.

"He's at the academy. He will be back soon. Lessons should be over by now. Come, let me help you get settled."

As Rey was helping Rose bring in their bags from the ship, Ben came up the dirt path to the house.

"Papa! Papa!" The twins squealed as they ran out of the house, nearly tumbling over each other. They raced up to him and clung to his legs.

"There are my little Ewoks!" He said, leaning down to hug the girls.

"Rawr, rawr!" The girls said, giggling and clawing at Ben's legs with their little hands.

"We missed you Papa." Pip said.

"Aunt Rose and Uncle Finn are here!" Lulu said.

"I can see that." Ben said, standing up. He gave a nod to Finn and a smile to Rose.

"Where is Cason?" Ben asked Rey as she came to greet him with a kiss.

"In his room with Paige." Rey said. Ben rose an eyebrow.

"You left him alone in a room with a girl?"

"They're nine and seven. Goodness, Ben." Rey said, shaking her head. Ben frowned. He picked up Pippa in one arm and Lulu in the other. The girls squealed as he carried them inside the house.

"Papa." Lulu said to Ben. "Tell me how you got your scar?" She asked, tracing her small hand down the right side of his face.

"Lulu, I've told you this story hundreds of times." Ben said with a sigh.

"I like it...." Whined Lulu.

"Oh please, go ahead." Finn said to Ben with a smile. "I'd love to hear this one."

Ben sighed again. He sat down on the couch with Lulu in his lap, Pip scrambling onto the couch to sit next to him.

"A long time ago, shortly after I met your mother, she was very angry at me."

"Why Papa?" Pip asked.

"Because I wasn't very nice to her. So she gave me this scar with her lightsaber. Which is why you always listen to what Mama says."

"That's right." Rey said, giving Ben a wink.

"Hear that Pip? If you don't do what I say, I'll give you a scar with a lightsaber." Lulu told Pip. Pip began to cry.

"Lucina!" Ben scolded. Lulu frowned.

"Sawwee Papa." She said, tears filling her eyes.

"I don't want a scar Mama!" Pip cried, jumping off the couch and running towards Rey.

"I think its nap time." Rey said, lifting Pip up and patting her on the back as she sniffled into Rey's shoulder.

Finn snickered to Rose, who lightly slapped him on the shoulder.

As the girls napped, Paige and Cason played with Cason's toy MSE-6 droid in the living room as the adults occupied the kitchen. Rose and Rey were cooking food for the academy celebration. Ben and Finn sat at the kitchen table.

"They certainly grow up fast." Rose was saying to Rey.

"Oh yes. Their personalities grow more and more each day."

"And their powers?" Finn asked. Ben and Rey gave each other a concerned look across the room. Finn looked between the two of them.

"Is there a problem?" He asked.

"Well.... The twins we really aren't sure about." Rey said as she poured blue milk in a large bowl.

"Really?" Rose asked.

"Lulu is very much like Leia. Strong willed and hard headed. Bossy, as you can tell." Rey said. "Pip is a lot like Han."

Ben hung his head slightly at the mention.

"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about how proud he would be of her specifically. She is always finding things. Amazed at simple discoveries such as a funny shaped rock. And don't get me started on Chewie."

"He's still around?" Finn asked, almost shocked.

"He's got about another 100 years left." Ben said. "Wookiees have a long life span."

"Pip has Chewie wrapped around her finger. Don't get me wrong, he loves all the children. But Pip is special."

"And Cason?" Rose whispered.

"He uses his powers a little too well." Rey said, shooting Ben another look.

"I thought you were over that." Ben said, rolling his eyes.

"Over what?" Finn asked.

"Cason took the Falcon for a joy ride about a month ago." Rey said. Finn laughed loudly.

"That piece of junk still works?"

"How far did he get?" Rose asked.

"Not far. He didn't leave the planet. Almost hit a few buildings in town. Chewie nearly slept through the whole thing. Thank goodness he woke up and piloted the ship back to the academy safely."

"I don't see what the big deal is." Ben said, arms crossed and shrugging his shoulders as he leaned back in his chair.

"Our nine year old piloted a freighter!" Rey said, giving Ben a pointed look.

"I took it for a joy ride once."

"You were thirteen." Rey shot back. Ben rolled his eyes.

"He is too much like you." Rey said, pointing a finger at Ben. "You need to be careful with his training."

Ben frowned and turned to look into the living room where the children were laughing as the droid bumped around the furniture.

"Don't remind me." He mumbled.

That evening at the academy, a gathering of the students and their families took place in celebration of 10 years of training.

The academy had grown immensely over the years, attracting even older students who had always sensed something had been different about themselves, but not exactly sure what.

Cason ran up to his other friends at the academy and eagerly introduced them to Paige. She shyly shook some hands. Pip clung on Chewie's back as he wandered around the tables of food, grabbing portions on a plate for himself, passing some back to the little girl.

"Well, well, well! Look who it is!" Said a familiar voice. Rey turned around to see Poe walking in, holding a large box in his hands.

"Poe! I thought you weren't going to make it." She said. He set the box on a nearby table and gave her a tight hug.

"Fashionably late I suppose." He said, winking at her. Finn hurried over to greet him and the two friends hugged.

"Buddy! Where's my girl?" He asked excitedly. Finn pointed to Paige and Cason, over with the other young padawans.

Poe ran over to Paige and scooped her up, giving her a big hug. She delightfully squealed, the loudest Rey had ever heard her speak.

"Cason, my man! How's it going?" Poe said to Cason, ruffling Cason's hair.

"Fine." Cason said, smiling at Poe.

"Where are your sisters? I brought you guys a gift."

Lulu was with Ben and Cason pointed out Chewie and Pip to Poe.

Ben and Lulu came over to greet Poe.

"Uncle Poe! Uncle Poe!" Lulu cried, running up to Poe.

"Like the hair Ben. Gray is a good color for you." Poe said to Ben, smirking at the silver streak that had developed over the years.

"I could say the same for you." Ben shot back with a smirk.

"Yeah, but I wear it so much better." Poe said, running a hand through his now salt and pepper hair. Ben gave a small chuckle and Poe smiled.

"Where is Kay?" Rose asked Poe.

"She stayed behind. Someone has to keep things running on Naboo." He said.

Poe and General Kaydel Connix had gotten close following the death of Leia and working together daily to build the New Resistance. They eventually started dating a few years back.

"What did you bring us?" Pip asked as Chewie came over to the others and set her down.

"Yes. That's an awfully large box." Ben said, eying the gift.

"Their birthdays aren't for several months." Rey told Poe.

"Consider it an anniversary gift then." Poe said.

The twins tore at the bow and Cason lifted the lid, as he was taller and could reach it.

"Oh my!" Rey said as Cason lifted a gray colored Loth-Cat from the box.

"A KITTY!!!!!" The girls screamed.

"Really Poe?" Ben said to Poe as the children fussed over the animal.

"You're the best, Uncle Poe!!!" The children cried.

"This is why I'm the fun Uncle." Poe said to Ben.

"They're flea bags." Ben said, frowning at the cat.

"Now Ben...." Rey said to Ben, taking him by the arm. "Maybe a little responsibility will be good for them..."

"Yeah, Ben. Responsibility." Poe echoed in a teasing tone.

"Papa, can we really keep him?" Pip asked as Lulu tightly hugged the cat, causing it to meow.

Ben sighed, all eyes on him.

"All right. Fine." He said. The children cheered and ran to hug their father, the cat being smooshed into his arms. It hissed at him.

"Look, I think he likes you!" Rey said.


	9. Calling

XXX

THREE YEARS LATER

XXX

Lulu and Pip giggled as they ran hand in hand back to the house up the dirt path that led down to the village nearby.

Cason followed his sisters, shuffling his feet as he trudged the path, dirt and gravel dusting over the tops of his boots. He was caught up in his own thoughts, his dark brows furrowing as he kicked along.

"Something on your mind, son?" Rey asked, coming up behind him and laying a hand on her sons shoulder, jolting him from his thoughts.

"Oh. Mmmm. Not really." He answered, looking up at his mother through the dark hair that slightly hung in his eyes. Rey gave his shoulder a small squeeze.

"Were you thinking about your birthday?" She pried. It was coming up in just two months. Her boy was growing up fast.

"Kind of." Cason replied.

"Thirteen is a big birthday." Rey said to him. "Would you like a party?"

Of course he wanted a party. She had sensed his thoughts on the matter weeks ago. But the less he knew that she would occasionally use the Force to check in on him, the better.

"I guess that's okay." Cason said, acting like it wasn't the answer he was eagerly awaiting. Rey put out a hand to stop Cason as they walked and turned him to face her. He was nearly her height by now. A few more years and he would be nearing Ben's tall frame.

"I'll speak with Papa after dinner." Rey said, brushing back his growing hair out of his eyes and giving him a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Thanks Mama." Cason muttered. He turned from her and continued up the path, a little more quickly this time.

Rey sighed to herself as she watched her children bustle into the yard of the stone house. The girls laughter echoing across the fields that surrounded them.

"Don't forget your chores girls!" Rey called to the twins.

"We won't!" They called back as they entered the house.

Cason went to his room, shutting it behind him. Rey went to the kitchen to start dinner, picking out the ingredients she would need.

"Mama!!! Shadow got stuck in the spine tree again!" Lulu said, as she walked inside the house, the cat in her arms yowling persistently.

"Again?" Rey asked. She set down the mixing bowl and exited the kitchen. Shadow wriggled against the hold Lulu had on him. Rey took him from her. His gray striped fur was covered in sticky needles. She sighed.

"Go help Pip with the garden and I'll start a bath. If your father finds out, he won't be too happy." Rey said as she held the cat against her shoulder, attempting to calm him. Lulu nodded and headed back outside. Rey knocked on Cason's door.

"Case? Can you grab an old blanket for me please?" She called to him.

There was a click and his door opened.

"Just any blanket?" He asked.

"Shadow got in the spine tree again. He needs bath and I don't want to use the good towels on the needles. There should be one in mine and Papa's closet." Rey instructed. Cason nodded and headed down the hall to his parents room while Rey turned the other way and went to the bathroom, Shadow trying his best to scramble over Rey's shoulder to escape.

"Oh no you don't!" she told the cat as she shut the bathroom door behind her with the Force.

Cason entered his parents room. An immediate sense of uneasiness washed over him as he approached the closet. He opened it slowly and scanned the contents of the upper shelf. He could see the tattered brown quilt his mother obviously had requested, but he reached past it. Instead, his hands grasped at a small metal box that was shoved behind a pair of his mothers boots.

His heart thumped fast as he held the box in his hands. Something told him to open it. He knew he shouldn't have been snooping in his parents closet. But he wasn't snooping, really. His mother told him to go in here. He gave one of the clasps of the box a flick with his thumb and it sprang open on one side and he quickly unfastened the other. The lid flipped back. His eyes grew wide, then dark.

"Cason." Said a stern voice from the doorway.

Cason nearly dropped the box. He hastily slammed the box door shut, his head snapping up.

"Papa.... I....." Cason stuttered. Ben was over next Cason in a few hurried strides, nearly snatching the box out of his hands.

"Is there a reason you're in here?" Ben asked his son quietly. His eyes intense and the lack of light in the room casting a fierce shadow across his scarred face.

"The cat...." Cason stuttered again. Ben shoved the box back in the closet and whipped the quilt off the shelf and shoved it at Cason. Cason gulped as he took the blanket from his father and hurried from the room.

"Ah, thank you Cason." Rey said as Cason entered the bathroom. He held the quilt out for his mother.

"Is that your father I heard come home?" She was focused on the grumpy cat in the bath as his fur was being plucked.

"Yes." Cason said, not looking at his mother.

"Is something the matter?" Rey asked, studying the paled look on Cason's face. Before Cason had a chance to open his mouth, Ben poked his head in the bathroom.

"What's this about the cat getting in the tree again?" He asked Rey.

"Oh it's nothing honey." Rey said, trying to brush off the matter.

"I told you that cat is nothing but trouble." Ben said to her before exiting. Rey looked back at Cason.

"Cason?" She asked him. Cason just shook his head.

"I'm fine Mama." Cason said before hurrying back to his room.

Cason picked at his dinner, avoiding his father's gaze.

"How was school today?" Ben asked the twins as sounds of silverware clinked in the kitchen.

"It was okay." Pip said.

"We're learning about Loth-Wolves." Lulu chimed in.

"Ah." Ben said.

"I wish we could go to school with you, Mama, and Cason." Pip said sadly to Ben. He sighed and set his silverware down.

"Pippa, we love and you Lulu just the same as Cason. It doesn't matter that you don't have the Force." He told her.

"There are plenty of those with the Force who have family members who couldn't use it." Rey reminded the twins. "The academy is full of them."

"I know..." Pip said, going back to eating her dinner.

"Now make sure Shadow stays inside the house tonight." Ben said sternly, picking his silverware back up. "I won't have him tearing up the garden again."

"Yes Papa." The girls said in unison.

After the children had gone to bed, Cason lay awake - unable to sleep. His senses nagged at him and he struggled to ignore them.

Slowly, he got up and prodded towards his door and slowly opened it. The lights of the living room were out but a light shone from the bottom of the door of his parents room. He could hear the hushed tones of his parents subtly arguing back and forth. He crept closer to the door and leaned in to listen.

"Are you sure he opened it?" Rey was asking Ben.

"I'm positive, Rey. I saw him slam it shut!"

"I told you to get rid of it!"

There was a shuffle as Ben paced a bit.

"I.... I don't know why I kept it."

"Maybe because of Han?" Rey asked quietly. Ben sighed.

"Maybe..." Ben admitted.

"But Rey..." he continued, his voice paining. "It was calling to him. I heard it."

"I don't understand." Rey said.

"How Anakin's called to you. Back at Maz's castle. It wanted him to take it. It was practically begging him."

"This isn't good." Rey replied.

"I don't know what to do, Rey." Ben said, sounding exasperated.

It was silent and Cason was curious if they knew he was there listening in.

"What if you take him to the Temple?" Rey suggested after a few moments.

"What good will that do?" Ben said, pacing some more.

"Perhaps some meditation training?"

"That's your area of expertise."

"You're his father. It's your lightsaber." Rey said back sternly.

Cason felt his breath catch in his throat. Ben grumbled and paced some more.

"Ben, calm down." Rey was telling him.

"He's too much like me." Ben said angrily, with a hint of defeat.

"I know." Rey said. "But you're a good man. A good father. You promised you wouldn't fail him."

"I won't." Ben said firmly. "I can't."

"What are you doing?" Lulu hissed from behind Cason. He jumped and turned around in a flash.

Lulu crossed her arms at her brother.

"Don't make me tell Mama and Papa." She bossed.

"I'm older, aren't I supposed to be bossing you around instead?"

Lulu stuck her tongue out at him in response.

"What are you doing out of bed?" He asked.

"I'm thirsty." She snapped. "Why are you listening to Mama and Papa?"

"They're talking about me."

"Ooooh. You're in trouble." Lulu said.

Cason made a face and shoved past his sister in the hall and headed back to his room.

There was a knock at the door, startling Ben awake. The door creaked open.

"Papa?" Came a small voice.

"What is it Lulu?" Ben asked sleepily as Lulu crept up to the side of the bed. Ben reached over to turn on the lamp, the light illuminating the tears fresh on her face.

"Cason ran away." She whispered.


	10. The Cave

*inspired by 'The Cave' by Mumford & Sons*

XXX

PRESENT

XXX

Rey and Ben scrambled out of bed. Rey grabbed a robe from a nearby chair and quickly put it on.

"What do you mean sweetie?" Ben asked Lulu, his hands placed on her tiny shoulders.

"He was listening to you and Mama talking." She sniffed. Ben looked up at Rey, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"How do you know this?" Ben asked her, his heart racing.

"I got up to get a drink of water and I saw him at your door. I couldn't get back to sleep so I went to check on him and now he's not in his room." Lulu said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Rey ran out of the room and down the hall.

"She's right. He's not here. And his rucksack is gone too." Rey called to Ben. Ben hurried to the closet and started pulling out pants and a jacket.

"Mama? What's going on?" Pip yawned as she came out of her room.

"Go back to bed, Pip." Rey said, her voice struggling to keep composure.

"Lulu, you too." Ben said, giving his oldest daughter a nod. "We will find him." He assured her.

Lulu sniffed and Rey quickly led her back to bed.

"Where do you think he's gone?" Rey asked Ben.

"I think I have an idea." Ben said as he pulled on a pair of his favorite black boots. "Can you sense him?" Ben asked Rey.

She shut her eyes and hugged herself tightly as she searched for Cason's aura through the Force.

"He's upset. Confused. Scared." She said. She opened her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh Ben...." She said, hanging her head in her hands and sobbing.

"I will find him." Ben said as he continued to rummage in the closet. He slammed the door shut and walked over to Rey and pulled her into a quick embrace. He kissed her forehead.

"I will bring back our son." Ben whispered to her, wiping a tear from her cheek. Rey nodded. Ben ran out of the house.

XXX

Cason entered the Falcon, looking behind him to make sure he hadn't been followed. The dark landscape behind him was clear. He turned around and raised the ramp, waiting there as the door hissed shut. Cason held up his lantern and observed his surroundings.

The lights were off and Cason could hear the subtle rumblings of snores from Chewbacca in the nearby bedroom. He was lucky the Wookiee was getting old and becoming hard of hearing. It's how he was able to take off with the Falcon the first time. Cason threw his rucksack on the holo chess table and crept to the cockpit, careful not to make any loud noises.

He flicked on the lights in the cockpit and sat in the worn pilots chair. He turned off his lamp and set it on the floor next to him. He began the operations to start the Falcon, a slight vibration from the seat as the controls powered on.

He didn't know where he was going to go. And Chewie was sure to be angry once he woke up, but the faster he got away, the more difficult it would be for Chewie to take him home.

The Falcon rumbled, lights on the dash turning green. Cason pushed a button on the dash and reached up above him to flick a set of switches. He pulled back on the controls, lifting the Falcon from her landing pods.

The ship shuddered and fell back to the ground. Cason frowned and pulled back on the controls again, trying to lift off. The ship groaned as it hit the ground again, harder this time. There was a crash as some pots fell out of a cabinet in the galley. Cason reached onto the dash and turned on the outer lights. His heart plummeted at what the lights illuminated. His father.

"CASON SOLO!" Ben angrily roared, his gloved hand outstretched towards the Falcon. He had been using the Force to keep the Falcon grounded, to prevent him from taking off. There was a hiss and a grumble as Chewie emerged from the bedroom, having been awakened by the attempts to take off. Chewie roared at Cason.

"No! I won't!" Cason yelled at him. Chewie grumbled as he stomped to the ramp and punched the release button, lowering it so that Ben could board the ship. Cason grumbled to himself as he father stormed onto the Falcon.

"Get up." Ben barked at Cason.

"No." Cason said, crossing his arms angrily. Ben's face was becoming various shades of red.

"Get. Up. NOW." Ben commanded. Cason hesitated and in that moment, he could feel himself lift from the pilots seat.

"Hey, no fair!" Cason yelled at his father. Cason struggled for a moment before Ben released his hold on him.

"Get your bag." Ben ordered Cason as he snatched up the lantern next to the pilots chair.

"I don't want to go home." Cason protested.

"Good." Ben said, sarcasm dripping in his tone. "We're not going home." Cason grabbed his rucksack and gave his father a confused look.

"Chewie, go and tell Rey and the girls I found Cason." Ben said to Chewie. Chewie roared back.

"We're going to the temple." Ben said, leading his son down the ramp of the Falcon and into the night.

The walk to the temple was silent and awkward. It was full of angry tension as Cason following his father, sulking in his botched attempted at running away.

As they neared the Jedi Temple, Ben slowed his angered strides.

"You will need to remained focused." He said, his tone calmed, but very stern. Cason gave a short nod.

"Remember your training." Ben said. He stepped aside on a rusted circle that lay in the ground leading up to the stone spires of the temple. He nodded to Cason to take a stand next to him.

"Follow my lead." Ben said to Cason. As Ben raised a hand, so did Cason. They concentrated the Force on the stone. It slowly rumbled to life, turning counter-clockwise and raising slightly. Dirt and bits of sod trickled down the sides of the massive structure. The spire turned until a metallic opening revealed itself to them. There were ancient etchings on either side of the entrance. Ben began to walk up to the entrance, Cason right behind.

Emerging into a rounded metallic room, Ben instructed Cason to sit. He did, and Ben took a place on the ground across from him.

"So this is the Jedi temple?" Cason asked, his voice cracking after not speaking for so long.

"Yes. One of the few that are left." Ben said.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"I want you to meditate." Ben told him. Cason frowned.

"You brought me here for meditation?" He asked grumpily.

"There are some things you need to learn, my son." Ben said. Ben reached under his jacket and brought out his old black cross saber, setting it on the stone floor in front of Cason. Cason's heart began to beat very fast.

"I want you to concentrate on this object." Ben said quietly. Ben leaned back slightly and closed his eyes.

Cason eyed the saber hilt warily, then glanced to his father. Ben did not stir, remaining poised as he began meditation with the Force. He mimicked his father, becoming relaxed and shutting his eyes.

Cason felt the dark aura of the saber. It became excited at the contact he made with it within his mind.

It wanted to tell him a story. To show him something. Something.... Regarding his father's past.

The topic was never really spoken at home. All he knew of his parents past was his mother grew up in the desert as a scavenger and that the love she had for his father blossomed out of what once had been anger. He knew he didn't have any living grandparents, which made the connections he had with his pseudo Aunts and Uncles that much more meaningful to him and his sisters. His mother and father spoke rarely of his fathers parents, as it was hinted he didn't have a very good relationship with them.

'Han.' The saber hissed to Cason.

That's right. Han. The name that came up every so often, including recently the conversation his parents had in the bedroom before he ran off. Who was Han? And why did the saber want to tell him about him?

Cason was shown a bridge, growing darker as the light faded from the room. A glare of red light illuminating a younger Ben facing an older man in a vest. Ben did not have his scar on his face, but instead it was pained with inner torture.

"I want to be free of this pain." His father said to the man.

'Han.' The saber whispered again.

"Will you help me?"

"Anything." The older man said to Ben.

After a moments hesitation, the hilt of the saber came to life, glaring red and striking through the mans chest.

"No!" There was a scream from behind him as the scene played out. It sounded like his mother.

The man in the vest tumbled off the bridge, dead, falling into the abyss below.

Next, Cason was watching as his father battled his mother angrily in a snowy forest.

"I can show you the ways of the Force!" He yelled at her as she was close to falling back over an open chasm in the ground.

"The Force?" His mother whispered, before she briefly closed her eyes. They snapped open and she fought back fiercely, eventually whipping across Ben's face. The scar. The scar his mother caused.

Cason shivered as the cold of the forest was swept away and he was now in a great red room where his mother was being raised into the air by a giant ugly man in a gold robe. She screamed in pain, his father motionless behind her, his saber laying alone on the floor in front of him. The giant man turned his mother to face his father, commanding her to be slaughtered. Ben slowly picked up the saber in front of him, preparing to strike.

The hum of a second lightsaber echoed in the room and the giant man slid forward in his throne, his top half severed from his bottom. His father's current lightsaber flew into his mothers awaiting hand and she stood up, staring a thousand emotions at his father. They turned back to back and began to fight off several red armored men.

"What does this mean?" Cason asked aloud.

"It's your father's past." Said a voice next to Cason as he watched his parents battle for their lives. Cason turned and saw a man shaded in blue on his right. He had short hair and a beard, wearing a series of robes.

"Hello Cason." Said the man. "I'm your Great Uncle Luke."

"Are.... Are you a ghost?" Cason asked slowly. Luke chuckled.

"Yes I am."

"How can I see you?" Cason asked.

"I'm using the Force." Luke explained.

"Can they see you?" Cason asked, indicating his parents as his mother threw the blue lightsaber at his father, who caught it with ease despite struggling against an attacker.

"No. Not here they can't. But I have spoken to your parents on occasion. Though it seems we are vastly overdue for a chat."

"So what does this mean?" Cason asked Luke of the visions.

"Your father has a dark and troubled past. He has not been honest about it." Luke tattled. Cason frowned.

"And my mother?"

"Oh, she's amazing. Stubborn, but amazing." Luke said as they watched Rey and Ben struggle for the blue lightsaber as it hung suspended in mid air between them.

"Why did the saber want to show me this?" Cason asked as the scene faded and he and Luke now stood alone in the center of the Jedi Temple.

"It calls to you. It has recognized you as its new master." Luke said. Cason looked down, suddenly realizing he held the black hilt of the saber in his hands.

"It's mine?"

"So it seems." Luke nodded. Cason looked at the saber. It felt cool to the touch and heavy in his hands.

"Why was my father so angry when I found it?"

"Your father did terrible things with it. He fears you will follow the same troubled past as he."

Cason frowned, flexing his fingers around the saber.

"Your father has shielded you from his wrongdoings to protect you. And in doing so, he has alienated you." Luke explained.

"The Force flows strongly through you Cason." Luke said. "Your father was able to redeem himself from the dark side, but he can not deny his past."

"I know nothing of the dark side. How can I follow it?" Cason asked.

"Your father was able to be seduced to the dark side by a villainous man. He fears the same will happen to you, especially now that his old lightsaber has chosen you."

Looking at the saber began to make Cason feel sick. The saber trembled slightly as he continued to hold it.

"You must be cautious with your training." Luke warned Cason. "Have hope, my child." He said as he faded from sight.

Cason gasped as he snapped out of his meditation. The saber was still in his hand as he sat cross legged on the stone floor.

"Papa?" Cason whispered.

"Mmm?" Ben asked, opening his eyes.

"Did you see that?" Cason asked his father.

"My vision was not the same as yours." Ben said, eyeing his old saber in his sons hand with caution.

"Uncle Luke was there."

"I'm not surprised." Ben sighed.

"And... Han?" Cason asked. Ben sighed again.

"Was Han.... My grandfather?" Cason asked quietly. After a moment of silence, Ben nodded his head.

"Yes. I killed my father." Ben admitted to his son.

"Why Papa?" Cason asked, a quick feeling of fear injecting itself into his heart.

"I was drawn to the dark side of the Force by an evil man named Snoke. He sensed my power. My anger."

"Your anger?"

"Yes. I was very angry with my parents. They harbored secrets from me. Dark secrets."

"Like you and Mama did?" Cason asked pointedly. Ben frowned. His son was too smart.

"You're right." Ben said. "We haven't been honest with you."

"Why were you angry with your parents?" Cason asked.

"There was another bad man from my past." Ben said. "My own grandfather. Anakin. He was known as Darth Vader. He was a powerful man who killed many people. My mother and father hid the fact he was my grandfather. Once it was revealed publicly, my family was shamed for being related to such a vile man. I let my anger control my actions and Snoke preyed upon the power my anger caused. He tortured me to do horrible things, promising me that all my problems would be solved by falling to the dark side. He told me if I killed my own father, that all my problems would end. But he was very wrong."

It was quiet as Cason let his fathers confessions sink in.

"I was a troubled man before your mother rescued me from the dark side. So yes, I've killed people. I killed your grandfather. And I was not open with you when I should have been. I kept putting it off, thinking you were too young to understand. But you are becoming a young man. And I shouldn't have reacted the way I did when you found the saber."

Cason looked down at the saber in his hand again.

"Does it work?" Cason asked. Ben shook his head.

"I destroyed the crystal years ago. It holds no core." Ben explained.

"Oh." Cason said, sadly.

"But if you'd like." Ben said, standing up. "I can take you to get your own."

"Really?" Cason asked, scrambling to his feet. Ben nodded and motioned for his son to follow him as they traveled further into the temple.

Ben held up the lantern as they traveled the stone halls of the temple, down into a dark cavern that echoed with the sound of dripping water, though no water could be spotted.

"This is where I leave you." Ben said. Cason looked at his father confused.

"What?" Cason asked. Ben held out the lantern to Cason.

"Go find a kyber crystal in the depths of the cave. When you have chosen, I will be here waiting." Ben said.

Cason looked down at the saber in his hands, then back to his father.

"I love you son." Ben said, a gleam of flight flickering in his dark eyes. Cason gave his father a small smile before taking the lantern from Ben's outstretched hand and turning to trek down the darkened path to the cave.

XXX

Cason wandered down the path, following the sound of the dripping water until it became louder with each step. A soft light beckoned him at the end of the hall. He soon emerged into a cavern with walls of crystals jutting out from every angle. At first all of the crystals looked white, but as Cason explored, hints of colors could be seen bouncing off the stones.

So he was just supposed to pick one? Just any crystal? No. That didn't seem right. The saber chose him. Choosing his crystal had to be more meaningful.

"Which one do you like?" He found himself asking the saber. He could feel it tremble to the left, so Cason walked left, letting his free hand run over the walls. Crystals scratched slightly at the palm of his hand. An eerie hum echoed in his ear and he stopped his hand. His hand rest on a chunk of multiple crystals, about the size of a fist.

"Yes, but which one?" Cason asked the saber.

The saber was silent. Cason would have to choose. He let his fingers glide over the crystals, using the Force to sense their aura. With a quick movement, Cason closed his fist around a single crystal on the chunk and concentrated the Force on it to break it off of its base. It felt small in his hand and he hastily closed his hand around it for fear of dropping it.

Cason hurried back up the path back to Ben, who was pacing at the entrance.

"Well?" Ben asked Cason. Cason held out his hand, revealing the crystal to his father. Ben picked it up gingerly in his gloved hand, brushing bits of rock off the sides of the stone. Ben let out a shuddering breath, one he felt he had kept in the whole time Cason was off in the cave. He composed himself before he handed it back to Cason.

"Do you need help?" Ben asked Cason. Cason shook his head and handed the lantern back to Ben. After a few moments, the crystal was set inside the saber and the cover replaced.

As they exited the temple, Ben paused for a moment as the spires circled back down inside the ground behind them.

"Do you have any more questions son?" Ben asked Cason. Cason pondered a moment as he attached the saber to the belt around his waist.

"Mama said when I was older you'd need to talk to me about the droids and the sockets." Cason said.

"Droids and the sock - OH." Ben said, going pink in the cheeks. "Well.... Ahem." Ben coughed, clearing his throat.

"Why don't we talk about that once you start finding girls attractive." Ben said as he began to make his way towards home.

"Mama is very pretty." Cason said, matter of factly. Ben coughed again.

"I mean girls whom you aren't related to." Ben corrected.

"Oh." Cason said, following his father. "Paige is kind of pretty I guess."

Ben halted in his steps.

"Then we can discuss it on another day that hasn't been as emotionally trying. All right?"

"All right." Cason repeated.

The father and son walked up the dirt path to the house as dawn was breaking over the horizon. Rey had been waiting outside the house, still in the robe from earlier. She ran up to Ben and Cason, wrapping her son in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry Mama." Cason whispered to his mother as she wept, clinging to her son.

"Don't do that ever again Cason Ridley." She scolded, wiping tears from her face.

Yes Mama." Cason said.

"Cason's home! Cason's home!" the twins cried as they rushed out of the house and into the road, clambering to give their big brother a hug.

"Don't run away ever again!" Lulu cried.

"I won't." Cason said, giving her a smile. The girls ran back into the house. Ben and Rey stood side by side in the road, Ben's arm around Rey. Cason turned around to face his parents.

"I'm sorry we weren't honest with you." Rey said.

"It's okay." He told them.

"Uncle Luke helped me understand." He told her.

He looked down at the saber on his belt. He detached it and held it out to his mother.

"Would you like to see?" Cason asked his mother. She smiled warmly and stepped forward, reaching out to touch a hand to her sons cheek.

"Of course I would. It's your saber after all." She said to him. Cason ignited the saber and Rey starred at its glow.

"It's wonderful honey." Rey said, putting an arm around her son. She looked over at Ben who kind of gave a shrug in response.

"Come, Chewie has breakfast waiting." She said as she guided Cason towards the house.

Ben stayed back, watching his wife and son enter the house. He turned to glance at the presence he felt behind him, seeing the ghost of Luke watching from further up on the path. Luke gave Ben a simple nod which he returned before Luke faded away. Ben turned back to the house.

"I will not fail you." He whispered to himself before eventually following them inside.

THE END


	11. The Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Special Authors Note:
> 
> When I first posted this story on my Wattpad account, there was a lot of interest in a sequel to my sequel. And now, I feel there is enough interest in the story here on AO3 to bring these few one-shot Cason stories over for those here to read.
> 
> There are only two one-shots for now, but that doesn't rule out anymore in the future. In the meantime however, I hope you enjoy these few stories I have to tell about everyone's third favorite Solo boy. ;)

Author's Note: This part is based off a random idea that I had while at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant with my daughter for a birthday party. Enjoy!

XXX

It was a cold day on Lothal. The trees surrounding the rounded stone home were pale and bare from the winter months. The garden lay brown. A trail of smoke curled up from the chimney stack. Two brown haired girls bustled around the yard, completing their chores for the afternoon.

Inside, Cason lounged lazily on the couch, browsing on his own holo pad - gift recently received on his twelfth birthday.

His sisters came in from the back door. Lulu set the laundry basket on the kitchen table. Pip was carrying a small bundle of sticks for the fire. She stacked them neatly in the basket of wood placed on the hearth. Shadow, their Loth-Cat, stretched out and yawned from in front of the fireplace. Lulu bent down to pet the cat, glancing up at her brother.

"Where are Mama and Papa?" Lulu asked him.

"In their room. Arguing. Again." Cason replied grumpily

"What did you do this time?" Lulu replied sassily, standing up and crossing her arms. Cason made a face at her.

"I didn't do anything." He sneered.

"Oh really? Then what are they arguing about?"

XXX

"No. No! Absolutely not!"

"Ben... Be reasonable..."

"I am being reasonable! The answer is NO!"

"Ben. This is all that they've asked for."

"I don't care."

"You would do anything for them! Why not this?"

"I said, NO!"

"They're growing up! Cason's nearly a teenager. This may be the only time we can take them there."

"Is that what this is about? About how we said we weren't going to have anymore kids? Because if that's the case I will take you on the bed, right here, right now, and make another baby."

"Really Ben? You'd rather go through all the work of having another baby JUST to avoid going there?"

"YES!"

"Is it really that bad?"

"YES!"

"I just don't see what could be so bad about a place called Spark E. Droids Pizza Planet."

Rey frowned and placed her hands on her hips, glowering at her fuming husband.

"I think there's something you're not telling me." she told him.

"No there's not." Ben quickly replied. Rey smirked.

"Yes there is." She answered. She took a step towards her husband, eyes narrowing.

"No! NO! Rey! STOP IT!" Ben yelled at his wife.

But it was too late. She snapped her mind into his thoughts before he could shut her out with his Force.

*Six year old Ben had been sitting in front of the holovision. A brightly colored commercial had just finished playing on the screen. He scrambled up off the floor and ran to find his mother.

Leia sat at a desk, tapping away at a holo pad, a very concentrated look on her face.

"Mother! I know what I want for my birthday!" He excitedly told her. She raised her head and smiled at her son.

"Well what is it Ben?" She asked him.

"It's the coolest place in the galaxy! Spark E. Droids Pizza Planet! May we go there? Please?" He begged.

Leia pursed her lips and scrolled through her holo pad.

"Oh honey, I've got a Senators conference that day. There won't be enough time for us to go there. Maybe a different day."

"What if Father takes me?"

"Take you where?" Han asked, passing by in the hallway.

"Spark E. Droids Pizza Planet! I want to go for my birthday!"

"THAT place?" Han made a face. Leia shrugged.

"I have a conference that day." She told Han. Han firmly shook his head.

"Sorry kid. Listen to your mother. A different day."*

Ben glared at his wife.

"Don't you say it." He warned her. Her face broke into a grin and she quickly wrapped him in a hug.

"Oh how sweet! You wanted to go there when you were a child!" She cooed. Ben grumbled, embarrassed.

"My answer is still no." He said, taking a step back from her.

"Ben...." Rey said, still holding onto his waist. She looked up at him with pleading eyes, batting her lashes. He rolled his eyes.

"You never got to go. Come on Ben... Let the twins have their party there."

Ben grumbled some more, struggling to get out of his wife's grasp.

"They're your little girls. Your little princesses. It would mean the world to them!"

"All right, FINE!" Ben shouted. Rey squealed lightly and gave him a hug before letting him go.

Ben stomped to the door and opened it hastily.

Cason lowered his holo pad as his father tromped into the living room. His sisters stopped in their playing and they all stared at the towering figure of their parent.

"Girls, you can go to the pizza place for your party." He told them.

The girls screamed and cheered, jumping up and down as they clambered over each other to hug him.

"Thank you Papa!"

"You're the best Papa!"

"That place is for babies." Cason said, annoyed.

"Come now, Case." Rey said to him as she passed through the living room on her way to the kitchen. "It will be fun. We're inviting all our friends. You'll have other kids close to your age to hang with."

"Fine." Cason sighed.

XXX

Rey sat in the kitchen, a holo pad centered on the table. She tapped away on the keyboard, initiating a multi communications request. Seconds later a split screen projection appeared above the table, the right side answering first.

"Rey! How good to hear from you!" Rose said, happy to have received a call from her close friend.

"Hi Rose. Is Finn around?"

"Yep! Sure is!" Rose said, smiling. She beckoned Finn over just as Poe appeared on the left side of the projection.

"Hey Rey! How's it going?" He asked.

"Just wanted to give you guys the information for the twins birthday party next month." She told her friends.

"I'm always down for a party." Poe replied.

"This is a children's party Poe. Remember? They're going to be seven."

"Yeah, yeah." Poe said, brushing her off. "So give me the details."

"The twins want their party at some place called Spark E. Droids Pizza Planet."

"Spark E. Droids Pizza Planet?" Rose and Poe shouted at the same time.

"That place is still open?" Poe asked.

"Yes. You've heard of it before?"

Poe shrugged.

"My grandmother took me once after my mother died. I don't remember too much about it. Wasn't bad at least."

"I never got to go." Rose said sadly. "My sister and I would hear the commercials all the time though. They had the best jingle."

"Oh man, I can still remember it." Poe agreed. They broke out into song in unison.

"Doot doot zap! Doot doot zwip! Just hop in a ship, you'll get here quick! It's the best time you've ever had at! Spark E. Droids Pizza Planet! Ready? Countdown! Five, four, three, two, FUN!"

The two then emulated the sounds of rocket thrusters, their cheeks puffed out.

"You guys are crazy." Finn said to his wife and Poe.

Rey turned and looked over her shoulder at Ben.

"That's the place you wanted to go to as a kid? Five, four, three, two, fun?" She asked, eyes full of amusement.

"Don't make fun of me." Ben answered. Rey just giggled. She turned back to the projection.

"So we'll see you there in a month?" She asked them.

"Kay and I will be there." Poe said nodding.

"I'm so excited to take Paige there." Rose said. "We can't wait to go!"

"Maybe you can't..." Finn mumbled. Rey smiled.

"See you then!"

XXX

The scene was chaotic. Children of varying species were yelling, screaming, and laughing as they ran rampant in the establishment.

"Dear Gods... You were right." Rey said to Ben as two Rodian children raced past them shooting each other with toy laser blasters. "Maybe we should have had the party elsewhere."

"Say that again?" Ben asked her as they maneuvered their way past the throngs of children.

"You were right." Rey repeated. Ben smirked with satisfaction.

"Look Mama! They have a pod racing game! Can we go play now? Please please pleeeeease?" Pip begged.

"All right, all right." Rey said. She handed the girls some gold coins and they raced off, holding hands.

"Do you want tokens Case?" Rey asked Cason. He shook his head.

"This place is ridiculous." He said grumpily.

"It's your sisters birthday. Be nice." Rey told her son. She nodded over his shoulder.

"Look, Finn and Rose are here."

Cason turned and saw his parents friends approaching, Finn with gift bags in hand.

"Cason! Look how tall you're getting!" Rose squealed.

"Hi Aunt Rose." Cason said as she enveloped him in a tight hug. He was just about as tall as she was.

Though they weren't really his Aunt and Uncle, they were the closest thing his mother had to extended family, so the nicknames stuck.

"Paige, come say hi to Cason." Rose said, stepping away from Cason and motioning behind her husband.

Cason's eyes glanced up at the girl standing shyly behind Finn. He had met her a handful of times. She was always quiet. The last time he had seen her was a little over two years ago, at the tenth anniversary celebration of his parents Force Academy. Her hair was still cut in a bob, but it was longer. She was up to her mother's shoulder in height.

"Hi." Cason said to Paige and he saw her face light up. He grinned.

"Hi." She replied back. She glanced over his shoulder.

"Is that a pod racing game?" She asked him. He looked behind him and then turned back to her.

"Yeah. You wanna play?" He asked.

"Can I Daddy?" Paige asked Finn.

"Sure honey, your mother and I will be over here." Finn said to her. She beamed at her dad before they hurried off to occupy the game.

"They're so cute." Rose said, squeezing her husbands hand.

"Hmmmph." Finn replied.

"She doesn't have many friends. You know how shy she is." Rose whispered to Finn as they made their way over to Rey and Ben.

"I know... Still....." Finn said.

Rey gave Finn and Rose hugs.

"Glad you could make it! Where's Paige?"

"She's already off playing with Cason."

"Oh they're so cute together." Rey commented.

Ben and Finn made faces. Rose beamed.

"We brought gifts for the girls." She said, taking the bags from Finn.

"So did we!" said a voice from behind them.

"Poe!" Rey said happily, greeting Poe and Kay.

"I've got the girls present outside with my ship. Too big to bring inside." He said, winking at Rey.

"I told him not to." Kay said, putting a hand on Poe's shoulder.

"You spoil them too much." Rey said to Poe, shaking her head.

"Of course they get spoiled. You guys are family."

Ben coughed.

"Not you." Poe quickly said to Ben. "Her."

"Aww... Poe..." Rey said as she gave him a hug, trying not to cry.

Ben just smirked at Poe and Poe gave him a small smile back.

"Oh sweet, is that a pod racing game?" Poe said, getting distracted and walking off. Kay just rolled her eyes.

The kids were now gathered around a long table grabbing food. Lulu and Pip were tearing through their birthday cake. Cason reached a slice of cake on a plate. Someone else reached for it at the same time. Their hands touched.

"Sorry." Paige quickly apologized, moving her hand back. "You went for it first." She said.

"No. You can have it." Cason said, pushing the plate towards her. She blushed a little.

"Thanks." She said, taking the plate. Cason chose another plate and they went and sat down to eat.

"My daddy says you're a Jedi." She said to Cason shyly. Cason swallowed a mouthful of cake.

"I have the Force, but I'm not a Jedi." He said.

"What does that mean?"

"It's complicated old stuff." Cason said, almost bored. "You probably wouldn't understand."

"I'm smart." Paige said, almost offended. Cason looked embarrassed.

"The Force is the energy created by all living things. I can sense the energy from objects and people and use it for my powers."

"Powers? Such as?"

"Well, I can manipulate objects with my mind so far. Mama and Papa haven't trained me further than that."

"Do you have a lightsaber?" Paige asked.

"Not yet." Cason replied grumpily. "My Papa says 'no'."

"Oh. When you get one, will you show it to me?" She asked. Cason smiled.

"Sure." He answered.

"Cason?" Lulu asked, coming up to him. "Can you help me win the Ewok toy? Pretty please?" She asked her big brother. She pointed at the large stuffed animal hanging behind the prize counter.

"How many tickets is it?" He asked her.

"Two thousand." Lulu shrugged, as if that wasn't a big deal.

"Two thousand? You're nuts." Cason told Lulu.

"Pleeeease?" She begged again. Cason sighed, annoyed, but stood up, much to Lulu's delight. Cason followed his sister to a mini galaxy bowling game.

Pip was rolling the small stone balls up a ramp, trying to land them in one of seven slots, each labeled with a different point systems.

"How many tickets have you got?" He asked Pip. Pip fished in her pocket and handed Cason a handful of parchment tabs and counted them.

"You've got about a hundred tickets." He told them. The twins frowned.

"This game is hard." Pip said, kicking at the ramp.

Cason looked over his shoulder. The adults were still sitting around the food. Well, all the adults but Poe. He was still hogging the pod racing game.

"Get out of here kid, I'm almost first place!" Poe said to a Twi'lek boy waiting for a turn on the game.

"All right, keep an eye out. And DON'T tell Mama and Papa." Cason said to his sisters. They giggled, staring at him wide eyed and giddy.

Cason inserted a coin into the bowling game and several stone balls rolled down a chute. Cason looked around warily before raising his hand and levitating one of the balls up the ramp and into one of the high score slots. His did this with all the balls and the game let out a series of bells, whistles, and chimes. A long roll of tickets was dispensed from the game. Pip and Lulu hurried and snatched them up.

"A few more times and we should get that toy in no time."

Before long, the girls had armfuls of tickets. Cason hovered the last ball over the high score slot, dropping it in, the game going crazy again with noise. As Cason handed his sisters the roll of tickets, he glanced up - seeing his mother, hands on her hips, shaking her head at him.

"Uh oh. BUSTED!" Pip said to Cason.

"Hey! I was helping you guys!" Cason said.

"Quick! Before she gets over here!" Lulu said. The siblings scrambled to the prize counter to redeem their tickets before their mother could make them give them back.

Rey and Ben approached their children at the price counter.

"Look what I got Mama!" Lulu said to Rey, holding up her Ewok plush.

"And look what I got!" Pip said, showing off a model kit of a starship.

"Mmmhmm." Rey said, un-amused.

"Cason. What have we said about using your powers?" Rey asked Cason sternly.

"It's my fault Mama. I asked him to help." Lulu said, giving her parents a round eyed look of innocence.

Rey looked between Cason and the twins. The twins pouted. Rey sighed.

"Don't let it happen again." Rey told them.

"We won't!" The twins cried.

"All right, time to get out of this hell hole." Ben said, ushering the kids towards the door.

"Where's Poe?" Finn asked as he began to follow everyone out of the restaurant.

"Come on Poe. Time to go." Kay was saying to Poe, trying to remove him from the pod racing game.

"Already? But we didn't even meet Spark E. Droid yet!" Poe was complaining as Kay led him out of the restaurant.

Outside, Poe presented the twins with their gift - their own mini land speeder.

"Yippie!!!" Pip cried.

"Thanks Uncle Poe!" Lulu said. They ran to scramble in, pushing each other and fighting briefly about who got to drive it first.

"Hey Paige." Cason said to Paige as the adults stood watching the girls drive the speeder around the ships. Paige turned around.

"I got you something." Cason said to her, holding out a stuffed Porg keychain. Paige smiled as she took it.

"It's so cute. Thanks." She said.

"Yeah well, we had extra tickets.... So...." He shrugged.

"It's great. I'll keep it forever." She said. Cason went a bit pink in the cheeks.

"Come on Paige! We've got to get going." Finn called to her. Paige looked at Cason.

"See you next time?" She asked him.

"Yeah. I guess." Cason said. "Hey, maybe I'll have a lightsaber then." He said. Paige smiled.

"That would be really cool."

"Yeah.... Cool...."

"Well, see ya." Paige said.

"Bye." Cason said as he watched her board her parents ship - wondering if she really would keep the toy forever.


	12. The Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Special Authors Note:
> 
> When I first posted this story on my Wattpad account, there was a lot of interest in a sequel to my sequel. And now, I feel there is enough interest in the story here on AO3 to bring these few one-shot Cason stories over for those here to read.
> 
> There are only two one-shots for now, but that doesn't rule out anymore in the future. In the meantime however, I hope you enjoy these few stories I have to tell about everyone's third favorite Solo boy. ;)

Author's Note: This chapter is a little long but I hope it's worth it. Please let me know what you think. As always, happy reading! ♡

XXX

"Dad? Dad, are you crying?"

There was a quick sniffle.

"No! It's this blasted planet. I got swamp water in my eye."

"Dad, we're nowhere near the water."

Another sniff.

"I'm not crying!"

"Oh Daddy...."

"You just... *sniff* Look so beautiful."

Finn reached out a hand and tucked a stray piece of Paige's hair behind her ear. Paige blushed and stared down at the bouquet of flowers in her hand.

"Thanks Daddy." She whispered.

"My little girl. Growing up." Finn said, tearing up again.

"Daddy, please... Stop crying." Paige said to her father, refraining from rolling her eyes.

"Are you ready?" He asked her. She nodded.

"I guess."

"You guess?" Finn asked, panicked.

Just then, a pair of doors opened and Rose rushed in.

"There you are! Finn, go take your seat. The ceremony is about to start!" Rose said, ushering her husband away.

"You should be standing with the others." Rose said to Paige, taking her by the arm and leading her down a hallway where several other young women in blush colored dresses were huddled around, all holding matching bouquets.

"Remember the rehearsal. You'll be fine." Rose said, squeezing Paige's hand. Paige nodded at her mother as she left to find Finn.

Paige sighed nervously, clutching the bouquet tight. One of the other girls nearby looked over at her and gave her a reassuring smile. She quickly smiled back.

A sudden blare of music from afar startled her and the group of girls hurried and filed into a line in front of the door her mother had just exited through moments before. Paige stood at the back of the line.

The doors opened, revealing the massive capital building of Naboo. It had been transformed into a garden, flowers draped on the edge of every chair. The heads of hundreds of finely dressed people turned to the open doors.

The girls began to walk through in evenly timed steps to the front of the room where a handsomely dressed man stood in a gray tuxedo. As Paige neared the man, there was a dramatic change in music and the entire room stood up.

From the doors at the back of the room entered the former Queen of Naboo, Annaly Naberrie. Only this time she wasn't a queen, she was a bride. She was dressed in a pure white gown with a train that seemed to go on for miles. Her veil draped over a tiara that sparkled with every move that she made.

Paige could feel her knees shaking as she stood at the end of the row of bridesmaids. She hoped no one could tell how nervous she was. It was a great honor to have been asked to be one of the former Queen's bridesmaids. Her mother and Annaly had a long friendship, one that began before Rose was even born. Annaly was now thirty years old and marrying Micah Tully, the son of a wealthy trader from Coruscant. They had met when Annaly traveled to Coruscant to attend university following her reign as Queen on Naboo.

The couple said their vows and exchanged rings. She could see her parents in the audience, her father occasionally dabbing at his eyes.

"You may now kiss the bride!" The priest announced.

Trumpets sounded as Annaly and Micah kissed. The room erupted in applause and cheers.

XXX

"You did so great honey!" Rose praised Paige at the reception following the wedding.

The reception was held at the Theed Palace. The use of the palace had been graciously offered by the current Queen of Naboo, Queen Minisa.

"All I did was stand there." Paige said.

"Well you looked great regardless. It was a beautiful wedding. Wasn't it dear?" Rose turned to Finn.

"Hmm? Oh yes." Finn agreed, wiping at his face.

"Finn, are you still crying?" Rose asked him, laying a hand gently on his arm.

"It's swamp water!" He nearly shouted. Finn turned and stalked towards the buffet table, quickly followed by his family.

There were several familiar faces who had been invited to the wedding. Paige could see her father's best friend, Poe Dameron sitting at a table with Kay nearby. The Wexley sisters, Seraphina and Jasmine accompanied their parents Snap and Karé at the same table as Poe. Seraphina waved to her from the table and Paige waved back.

Following the meal, the lights in the room dimmed and a spotlight came on. The room politely clapped as the newlyweds took to the floor for their first dance. When it was over, the lights came back on and several other couples joined Annaly and Micah on the dance floor.

"Pleeeeease dear?" Rose begged Finn. Finn stood and held a hand out to his wife, who giddily accepted it.

"Milady..." He said to her, bowing.

"Stop, you're embarrassing me!" Paige complained. Her parents just laughed and made their way towards the dance floor.

The Wexley sisters soon swarmed her table.

"Oh my stars Paige, you are SO lucky you got to be a Queen's bridesmaid!" Seraphina gushed to her.

"She's not a Queen anymore." Paige said.

"Well she used to be." Seraphina said, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Wasn't her dress so pretty?" Jasmine asked the others. "I wish I could have a fancy wedding."

"I hope someone asks me to dance." Seraphina moped, leaning an elbow on the table and placing her chin in her hand. Jasmine laughed at her sister.

"Like who? There's a bunch of stuffy old people and grown ups here."

"Nuh-uh." Seraphina said. She pointed over to a corner of the room where three boys were standing around and joking with one another.

"I think that ones cute." Seraphina said, pointing discreetly at the boys.

"Who's cute?" Snap asked his eldest daughter, as he and his wife passed by on their way to the dance floor.

Seraphina blushed and shook her head, refusing to answer.

"That tall boy." Jasmine tattled, pointing across the room.

"Jas!" Seraphina complained. Snap looked up across where his other daughter pointed and began fervently shaking his head.

"Nope! No no no. No. I forbid it." Snap said quickly. But before he could explain why, he was dragged away by his wife.

XXX

Earlier That Day

XXX

"I don't see why we have to go to this stupid wedding." Cason grumbled as his parents prepped the Falcon for takeoff.

"Because they are family." Rey told Cason. She removed the fuel hose and slammed the gas panel shut on the underside of the ship.

"I thought you and Papa had no family left." Cason said, ducking his head and following his mother out from underneath the freighter. He was finally taller than his mother, but hadn't matched his father's height.

"This is very distant family." Rey explained.

"How distant?"

Rey's face contorted as she struggled to place their exact relation to the Naberrie family.

"They're um.... Uh... Second cousins.... Removed at some point or another. Whatever. It's from your father's side of the family. And we are going."

"Listen to your mother." Ben said as he walked past, hefting a large trunk into the Falcon.

"I'm almost sixteen. Can't I stay here by myself?"

"Absolutely not." Ben and Rey said in unison. Cason made a face.

"Well I'm excited." Lulu said, striding onto the ship. "Mama says we come from royalty. Papa's mother was a Princess! Isn't that right Papa?"

"Something like that." Ben grumbled before heading to the cockpit.

"What's so great about Queens anyways?" Cason mumbled, crossing his arms grumpily.

"Pip! Come on now!" Rey called down the ramp.

Pip was saying goodbye to Chewie who was staying behind to watch the house.

"And remember to feed Shadow twice a day." Pip was telling the Wookiee as she handed the Loth-Cat to him. Chewie roared in response. Shadow hissed at him. Pip turned and waved as she ran onto the Falcon. She took a space lolly from her back pocket, unwrapped it, and stuck it in her mouth.

"You know." She said, her words slightly garbled as she spoke around the treat. "Paige will be there." She told her brother.

"OoooOooooOooooOoooo." Lulu said, giggling.

"Shut up!" Cason said to her, going red.

"Paige and Cason! Paige and Cason!" Lulu sang. Cason stuck out his hand and pushed his sister over using the Force.

"Hey, no fair! MAMAAAAA!!!!!" Lulu screeched.

"Cason, no using the Force on your sisters." Rey called from the cockpit. Lulu stuck out her tongue at Cason and Cason made a rude face back.

"Why isn't this thing starting?" Ben asked his wife as he fiddled with the control panel, flipping switches back and forth.

"Did you prime the thrusters?"

"I thought you primed the thrusters."

Rey tapped at the dashboard.

"It should be ready. You think it's the calcinator?"

"Stupid piece of junk ship." Ben grumbled.

Pip rolled her eyes and entered the cockpit, reaching between her parents to engage the compressor on the ignition line. She whipped the lolly from her mouth.

"You're welcome." She said to her parents before heading back out to the holo chess table.

Ben and Rey looked at each other. Ben looked away first, and continued with the start up.

"She's so much like him." She whispered to Ben.

"I know." Ben sighed, his eyes lifting to gaze at the golden dice dangling above the dashboard.

En route to the Naboo, the girls got ready for the wedding. Rey dressed in gold while Lulu and Pip dressed in shades of blue and green.

They parked the Falcon in the Theed palace hanger and made their way towards the capitol building for the ceremony.

"Remember that night Ben? In the lake country?" Rey was asking her husband. He lightly reddened.

"How could I forget?" He said to her, lifting her hand to his mouth and kissing it. Cason made a disgusted face behind his parents.

"And our wedding night?" Rey asked.

"That too." Ben replied, smirking.

"You know Cason," Rey said, her head turning back towards him slightly. "You were conceived here on Naboo."

"EW, don't talk about that!" Cason said, covering his ears. Lulu and Pip giggled at their brothers reaction.

"In the lake country?" Lulu asked her mother.

"Actually it was on the Falcon." Rey said.

"GROSS!!!!" Cason cried, stomping ahead of his parents angrily.

XXX

Cason fidgeted in his seat as everyone awaited the start of the ceremony. He saw Finn take a seat across the aisle, followed shortly by Rose.

A sudden blare of music signaled the start of the wedding and the doors at the back of the room opened. A line of girls in blush colored dresses walked down the aisle in an obviously rehearsed fashion. The music increased in volume and began to resemble more of a fanfare. There was a shuffle as everyone stood up in unison as the bride had entered the room. The girls were still filing their way to the front when one in particular caught his attention.

Paige.

So his sister was correct when she had said she would be there. He fidgeted again, tugging at his collared shirt. He suddenly felt short of breath and his palms began to sweat as she passed by, eyes planted firmly ahead as she approached the alter. Her face had become less rounded as she grew up, showing off high cheekbones that complimented her almond shaped eyes. Her hair was longer now, having been styled into a posh bun.

The wedding was boring. He felt the brides dress was way too long. He could hear his sisters whispering about how pretty the dress was, his mother lightly shushing them. Cason glanced up at his father just in time to see his eyes briefly droop shut before snapping open in an attempt to stay awake. He smirked to himself. At least he wasn't the only one bored.

After the priest announced the couple man and wife, everyone stood again as they clapped and cheered. The bridal party exited hastily and the guests made their way to the Theed Palace for the reception.

"Why was Paige a bridesmaid?" Cason asked his mother.

"Rose is close friends with the former Queen. I told you this the other day."

"I wasn't paying attention." Cason admitted. His mother frowned briefly at him.

"Let's find our table." Rey said to Ben who just nodded in response.

They were seated with a dark haired woman and a boy who looked to be around Cason's age.

"You must be Leia's family." said the woman, standing up to greet them.

"Yes." Rey said. "I'm Rey. This is my husband Ben. And our children Cason, Lucina, and Pippa."

"I'm Persephone. I'm Annaly's elder sister. Welcome cousin." Persephone said, reaching for Ben and giving him a kiss on each of his cheeks. Ben went red and grumbled slightly.

"Um. Nice to meet you." He mumbled. Persephone sat back down and gestured at the boy at the table.

"This is my son Aleph. Aleph, these are your distant cousins."

"Sup." Aleph said.

"How old are you?" Persephone asked Cason.

"I'll be sixteen in four months." He replied.

"Oh how lovely. Aleph just turned sixteen this spring." She said, smiling. Rey turned to the kids.

"Go get in line for food first. We'll take our turn when you're back." She told them.

"Yes Mama." The twins replied. Cason followed his sisters and it took a moment to realize he had been followed.

"That a lightsaber?" Aleph asked Cason pointedly, staring at the saber hilt belted to his jacket.

"Yes." Cason replied.

"You some nerd?" Aleph asked.

"No." Cason said, frowning. "I have the Force."

"Shit, for real?" Aleph said, amazed.

"Yeah." Cason said.

"That's dope." Aleph said.

They loaded their plates up with food, passing by several other guests.

"Yo Al!" said a voice. A sandy haired boy came up and greeted Aleph.

"Sup Pete." Aleph said the kid. "This is my cousin Cason. He's got a lightsaber. Pretty cool huh?"

"You never told me you had a cousin who was a Jedi." Pete said.

"Because I just met him Pete, you moof milker."

The boys playfully shoved at each other before heading back to their table. Soon the boys were as thick as thieves, chatting up a storm and cracking jokes. As the bride and groom took to the dance floor under a spotlight for their first dance, they continued to snicker amongst themselves.

As the grown ups began to mingle, Pete came over to hang out with them. Pete was apparently the nephew of the groom.

"Wish there were more babe's here." Al said to Pete. Pete made a face.

"There are plenty of babe's here. Just not ones our age." He said, eyeing a blonde bridesmaid nearby.

The boys laughed about this.

"Don't look now but I think some age appropriate babe's are headed our way." Al whispered to his buddies.

A pretty brunette strode towards them and Al smoothed at his hair.

"Hi. I'm Seraphina." the girl introduced herself.

"I'm Al. Sup." He said to her. Seraphina's eyes turned to Cason and she blushed as she awaited his introduction.

"Oh... Uh.. I'm Cason."

"Pete." Pete said, giving a brief wave.

"It's nice to meet you." She said, batting her eyes at Cason. Cason fidgeted. Another girl approached.

"This is my sister Jasmine."

"She your sister too?" Al sarcastically asked Seraphina, looking over her shoulder as another girl approached. Cason felt his body warm.

"Hey Paige." He managed to croak to the girl.

"Hi Cason." Paige asked, stepping around Seraphina. Al looked between the two of them.

"You two know each other?"

"Yeah, our parents are good friends." Cason said to Al.

"Sup." Al said to Paige. She half smiled.

"I see you got a lightsaber." She said to him.

"A lightsaber? Oh my stars that is SO cool." Seraphina said, stepping back in front of Paige. Paige frowned.

"Yeah well... I mean.... I guess." Cason said.

"Can I see it?" Seraphina asked, batting her eyes again.

"Well, I.... I really shouldn't...."

"Come on! We wanna see it." Al said to Cason.

"Yeah! What's the point of having it if you can't show it off?" Pete chimed in.

Cason looked down at the hilt on his belt, contemplating before unclipping it.

"Okay but real quick." He said. He stepped back from the group and lit his saber.

"WHOA!"

"Awesome!"

"That's so cool!"

Cason quickly extinguished his saber, hoping his parents hadn't seen. They wouldn't approve of just brandishing his saber around for no reason. No reason to cause unnecessary panic because a Force wielder just ignited their lightsaber at the wedding of the former Queen of Naboo.

"Wow!" Seraphina said to Cason. "I've never met a Jedi before." She said.

"He's not a Jedi." Paige corrected her sounding annoyed before she turned and stalked off in a huff.

"Oh!" Seraphina replied in a somewhat offended tone. She turned back to Cason.

"Do you wanna dance?" She asked him.

Cason's palms began to sweat again. He looked up at Paige's retreating form.

"I uh... I don't dance... Um... Excuse me." He said, stepping away from the group and following Paige.

He followed her to a hallway with a series of arched windows. She had stopped at one of the windows and was staring out.

"Hey, what was that about?" He asked her.

"Nothing." She said to him, not turning around to look at him.

"Doesn't seem like nothing." He said. She turned around, sighing out of annoyance. He felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Seraphina was just annoying me. That's all." She said, looking down at her feet before glancing up at him.

Cason was much taller from when she had last seen him. Even with her heels on, she still felt small compared to him. The dusting of freckles over his nose had become more prominent over the years, probably from plenty of time spent out of doors training. His face shape, brow and chin resembled that of his father, strong and solid. His eyes and nose were like his mothers. He was becoming a very handsome young man.

"You look nice by the way." He said to her.

"Thanks." She said, tucking the pesky stray piece of hair her father had straightened earlier back behind her ear. She could feel her face warm.

Cason shifted uncomfortably as he tried to come up with something to talk about.

"So how have you been?" He asked her.

"Good. I guess." She said.

"Cool.... I guess." He replied. She lightly laughed.

"So when did you get your saber?" She asked him. He reached down and touched the hilt.

"Right before I turned thirteen."

"When I turned thirteen all I got were books." She said. He looked briefly confused by this.

"I like books." She reiterated.

"Oh! Neat." He said. He pulled the saber off his belt.

"Want a better look at it?" He asked her.

"Sure." She said with a shrug of her shoulder.

He lit the saber, the hall filling with the color of fresh grass.

"I like green." Paige said as she admired the beam of light. He smiled as he deactivated the saber.

"Mama says it goes with my eyes."

Paige giggled.

"It kinda does." She agreed.

The teens both blushed and Cason rubbed at his neck.

"Well I'm going to go back in. Let me know if that girl annoys you again." He said to her. "To be honest, she kind of annoys me too."

Paige smiled.

"I'll come with." She said.

They reentered the reception to find the band playing a slow song. Couples on the dance floor held each other delicately and close.

Cason looked down at Paige, watching her admire the splendor of the room.

"Do... Do you wanna dance?" He nervously asked her. He found himself wiping his hands quickly on his jacket.

"Sure." Paige replied.

They walked to the edge of the dance floor and Cason awkwardly placed his hands on Paige's small waist while Paige reached up and placed her hands on Cason's broad shoulders - something he had also inherited from his father. They lightly swayed and turned to the tune of the band.

XXX

"Oh look Rose! Look look look!" Rey said, quickly tapping Rose on the shoulder before pointing towards the dance floor.

"AWWWW!" Rose squealed and the women broke into a fit of giggles.

"What? What's so funny?" Finn asked, looking around.

"Cason's dancing with Paige!" Rose swooned.

"WHAT?" Ben and Finn said at the same time. Finn stood in a huff.

"I've always said how cute they are together." Rey said to Rose.

"Just think about it Rey! What if they get MARRIED?"

"NO!" Finn said loudly.

"My grandbabies could have the Force!" Rose daydreamed.

"NO!!!!" Finn repeated to his wife who continued to ignore him.

"Finn, are you crying?" Rey asked Finn.

"It's the swamp water!" Finn said angrily.

The lights of the room brightened as the music ended. The crowd clapped as Annaly came out.

"Time for the bouquet toss ladies!" She announced.

There was a small stampede of women to the dance floor and the men hurried out of the way. Annaly turned her back to the group of women crowded around, vying for their chance to catch the bouquet.

Annaly tossed the bouquet behind her with a flourish and several bridesmaids toppled over each other as they dove for it.

One hand reached up and expertly caught the bouquet. The guests clapped politely.

"He's not going to be happy about this." Ben whispered to Rey.

"Where is he?" Rey asked, glancing around. Ben jerked his head towards the dessert table where Poe was shoving cake into his mouth, frosting dribbled on his chin.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" He asked his friends. Kay walked over to him, the bouquet in hand.

"Hey Kay, nice bouquet, where'd you... Uh.... Where'd you get that?" He laughed nervously.

"You know what they say about those who catch the brides bouquet at a wedding...." Kay said to Poe.

"Ummm. More cake?" He guessed.

The adults just laughed, ending the night wondering when the next wedding would be.


End file.
